Can you keep a secret?
by Natalia Tira
Summary: For the students' protection, a figure from Snape's past must come back to Hogwarts. She wants to stay hidden, but he suspects something is not quite right. OC/SS. I tried to stay as on-canon as possible with the addition of a new character
1. Chapter 1

Nothing had changed. The structure remained the same, though still not entirely predictable. Classes were still run in their strict schedule, house points awarded and deducted in the same fashion, and the end of the year feast was still the moment most looked forward to. Quidditch was still the excitement of the hallways, where students argued about which teams would crush their opponents. And once again, there was a war to be fought.

Eliza stood in front of the familiar gargoyle as memories flooded her consciousness. There were many happy moments. Friends, feasts, and trips to Hogsmede would always be remembered with smiles. But there were also struggles. Her first time at Hogwarts had been in a time of peace, but she had had inner struggles to come to terms with. Could she control herself? Why make friends if you could never see them again? It had been hard to walk away, to disappear after graduation. But then the war began, and she was called back. They needed her help, and she was happy to give it. That was the year she met him. That wonderful, horrible, snarky, brilliant, obnoxious, man. But there would be time for reminiscing later.

The password, just like everything else, was the same. She smiled, despite the grim circumstances. He was expecting her, and he too had bleak eyes hidden behind his smile.

"Good afternoon, Miss Parker," Albus began, rising from his seat. "I truly appreciate you coming."

"I'm happy to help, Professor. The protection of these children is of the utmost importance. Anyway I can help, I offer my service," she assured him. "Although, I am sorry I could not come last year. I hated to disappoint you, but the circumstances-"

"I understand completely," he cut her off, "With Dolores around, it would have been far too risky for you." She nodded and let him continue. "But we find ourselves in a very difficult situation, and I may find myself- unable to protect the students," he said with a sigh," at any given moment."

"May I inquire about your health professor?" she asked hesitantly. She was aware of his condition, for he had disclosed to her some of the facts in their prior meeting. They could only meet for a few moments, afraid of discovery, but in that time he had shared the dark curse that had weakened him, and a terrible event that took place between Severus and Mrs. Malfoy. She had shuddered involuntarily at the sound of his name, but Albus had pretended not to notice.

"It is spreading at a slower pace now, but there is no stopping it," he informed her, his head dropping a moment, but he hastily brought it back up. "And while we are on the subject of bad news, how are you coping, dear Elizabeth?"

"I knew the day would come sooner or later," Eliza replied, shifting uncomfortably. She really did not want to discuss her mother's death at the moment. Even though you learn to prepare yourself, it does not make the pain any easier. "At least it came peacefully in her sleep. I am grateful for that."

"Please sit," he said motioning towards the chair in front of his desk. He took his seat behind the desk, and clasped his hands. She did as she was bade, and plopped down in the familiar seat. "Shall would work out some of the details then?"

"Indeed," she agreed. "Who is privy to what information?" Eliza inquired, hoping he didn't hear the desperation in this question.

"Well Minerva knows almost all," he said matter-of-factly. "About you and myself. The only thing she does not know about it the vow. I saw no reason to add more anxiety."

"Is she still the only teacher who knows about me?" Eliza questioned. _Oh please let the answer be yes,_ she silently begged.

"That is accurate," he assured her, "However, it really is only a matter of time before Severus shall figure out something is not quite right. He is more involved than anyone else, and I would bet he will question your return."

"But he is not supposed to know its me!" she exclaimed, mouth open in shock.

"Elizabeth, you can alter your name, and change your hair color, but you still look enough like yourself for him to question the resemblance. And I would not be surprised if the feelings-"

"Professor, I would seriously like to change the course of this conversation, if you don't mind," she interrupted. "My goal here is not to reopen doors that were shut long ago. I just want to be here in case there is an attack."

"All right," Dumbledore smiled faintly. "Lets start with a name, what did you decide?"

"Eliza," she blurted at once. "He knew me as Bethany, and if I was smart, I would pick another name altogether."

"Like I said, you can change your hair and your name but-"

"Let's talk about basics professor," she interrupted, feeling slightly annoyed. What year am I started out? I feel that I look a bit old for sixteen, wouldn't you say?"

"Its true, I would mark you at nineteen or twenty, but we don't really have a choice. I would like you as close to Harry and Draco as possible. Sixth year it will have to be. We can always make your birthday in September, to give you a little more advance in your age."

"Ok, Sixth year. Am I another transfer student then?"

"It seems the only way," he frowned. This seemed almost exactly like last time. Albus hoped no one would become suspicious. There were only a few teachers still around from that time, but he knew how important anonymity was to Elizabeth. "And I shall have to make sure the hat puts you in Slytherin," he added.

"Slytherin!" she spat. "Why? Wouldn't it make more sense to put me somewhere _under_ the radar, like Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw?"

"Well you have already been in Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw," he said laughing," and lets face it, you said yourself that you made a questionable Ravenclaw. Didn't you finish last in your class?"

"Fine not Ravenclaw," she huffed, now more than a little offended," But why Slytheirn?"

"I need you to be a spy among your peers. I need you as close to Draco as possible to find out what his plans are. And anything you can get from his friends will be a plus."

"Well I don't particularly like having Severus as a head of house, but I will deal with it."

"There is a young woman, Pansy Parkinson, who is a particular favorite with Draco. I will make sure you end up her roommate," he continued, ignoring her last statement.

"Parkinson? I know that name," Eliza tried to remember. "Didn't I go to school with a Parkinson?"

"Her second cousin, I believe."

"Oh wow, she was horrid unpleasant, I remember that much," Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. Dumbledore only smiled, revealing that Eliza was not very far off on her assumption of what the present Parkinson would be like.

"Well, once again, I appreciate you coming. I will see you at the start of the year feast?" Albus questioned.

"You will, Professor," Eliza took her leave. _I will see you, and the very man I have spent the last fifteen years avoiding. _


	2. Chapter 2

The feast was in full swing, but the most Eliza could muster was to keep her head down, and push her food around her plate. She and Dumbledore had decided a private entry was best. Instead of standing at the front of the room, letting Minerva introduce her, and the hat shout out her house, Eliza had slipped in before anyone else to sit quietly at the Slytherin table. When the Slytherins entered and sat, she received many curious glances, and some out right stared. A few students had been bold enough to spit "Who are you?" at her, where she mumbled, "I just transferred here," and looked away. No one introduced himself, or had a friendly word to say. Worst of all, Severus kept looking at the table. Most likely wondering who this strange student was.

Eliza had been slightly shocked when Albus introduced Snape as the next DADA teacher. He had not shared this detail with her before hand. Not that it made a huge difference, but Eliza was so dismal in potions, it was somewhat of a relief to be away from that particular scrutiny. Not that she was any safer as it was. At least she had a small natural defense from the dark arts, something to save her from a few additional moments of humiliation.

Prefects, and head boys and girls were trying to bring some order to the students as they made their way to their separate lodgings. Elizabeth kept to the back of the line, memorizing the faces around her. These would be the faces she would need to keep track of for the next year. She especially kept an eye on Draco Malfoy. The blonde, proud-looking child met every description that had been offered to her. She had also been warned that he was a bit of an attention seeker, and liked to show off with arrogance. The earlier display involving himself, Snape, and Harry Potter seemed to confirm this.

She tried to focus, but the students were noisily entering the Slytherin common room. The head girl was explaining rules and expectations. Eliza was giving the impression of paying strict attention, acting as if this was not her third time around. She waited patiently for the boring speech to finish, then made her way into the room she would be sharing with Pansy, and an equally irritating female, Millicent.

"You can have that bed over by the far wall," Pansy pointed to the empty space as Elizabeth walked in. The bed covers were typical green and silver, tucked into a black bed frame. Eliza inwardly rolled her eyes. She was going to get mighty sick of green in the near future. "So, like, what's your name?" Pansy asked, hopping onto her bed.

"Elizabeth Parker. Um, you can call me Eliza, I guess."

"Ok, well I'm Pansy and that's Millicent," Pansy introduced herself and the other roommate, who merely nodded her head in Eliza's direction and continued unpacking. "Where did you come from? Why are you coming so late?"

Eliza had already well prepared this information. She recited the story she had memorized for such questions. Her mother had been killed in a potions accident when she was a baby, and her father traveled a lot because he was a researcher. She had never gone to school, but had always had tutors. She had grown tired of it, begged to go to Hogwarts. Her father agreed, and here she was.

"I had to come a few days early because my father left for Poland last week," she volunteered.

"Wow, what kind of places did you see?" Pansy asked, apparently interested in the fact Eliza had traveled. It usually took money to travel, and she found people with money very interesting.

"Oh, I've been all over North America and Europe," Eliza said in a slightly self-important tone. She knew she needed to find a way to fit in, because acceptance led to trust, which led to information. This was crucial. "And Asia too, but I still have not seen Africa. That is next on my list." That was actually a lie, she had seen plenty of this continent, but she did not want to over-do it.

"What country did you like best?" Millicent finally added to the conversation. Eliza's first thought was to say Russia, where her father was actually located, but decided against it. _What would a spoiled brat say?_ She asked herself. Then it hit her.

"Oh! Italy of course!" Eliza smiled. "Daddy lets me buy whatever I want, and Italy always has the best shopping." Eliza wondered if she was laying it on a bit thick, but after watching the slightly jealous, but also encouraging faces of the two girls in front of her, she went on. "I have lots of clothes, so if you want to borrow anything let me know, if _I_ don't need it first, you can always ask."

Aside from a few murmurs of surprise, and slight distrust of the offer, no more was said that night. She knew they were far from accepting her into the group, but it was a start. Bribery never hurt when it came to Slytherins.

*********************************

Eliza heard her name as soon as she entered the breakfast room. _She must be super rich. You should see the amount of clothes she unpacked. I wonder why I have never heard of her. _ Pansy and Millicent were quickly filling in the rest of the Slytherin table the details that were revealed the previous night. When they saw her enter all talking ceased, and Elizabeth pretended to be completely ignorant to their remarks. People were not supposed to hear whispers from eighty feet away, and she very good at blending in.

She tried unsuccessfully not to look up at the head table, but managed only to peek at Severus' seat. It didn't matter, for he still had not entered. She was safe at the moment.

"Eliza," Pansy motioned for her to sit, "come meet the rest of us."

"Hello," Eliza greeted them in a friendly way, but still soft-spoken. _Baby steps_, she told herself. She was introduced to six or seven fellow Slytheirns. They were polite today, but she did not really enter into their conversation. She was distracted by the swooping presence of the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. He came in, sat, downed a cup of what appeared to be coffee, and left the room not five minutes later. She noticed she was not the only one watching him. Draco, too, was staring at him, but with narrowed eyes. These were the sort of things she needed to probe to gather information.

"He seems sort of scary," Eliza whispered to Draco, jerking her head in Snape's direction.

"He can be when he is pissed at you," Draco snorted.

"Does he get pissed a lot?" she asked, wide eyed. Draco laughed, catching the other student's attention.

"She is asking about Snape," he informed them. This started an eruption of information. People were telling her what to do, what not to do, and to pretty much stay out of his way.

"Don't worry though, he usually picks on the lions," Blaise, the boy to her right, explained with a snort. "And Potter at that."

"I don't want to talk about that worthless twit," Draco said darkly.

"I've heard of him," Eliza whispered. "I heard he was a nut job, from the papers anyway."

"You got that right," Draco said darkly. "But that old coot defends him to the end," Draco sneered, referring to Dumbledore. The headmaster happened to lock eyes with Draco for an instant, and the boy's eyes fell. Eliza noted the smell of adrenaline increase substantially, and Draco was silent for the rest of the meal.

"Well, we better get to class," Millicent persuaded the sixth years. "Being late is one of those things that piss Professor Snape off."

_And we wouldn't want that, now would we,_ Eliza muttered to herself as she made her way to the DADA classroom, dreading the awaited reunion.


	3. Chapter 3

It mattered little that Eliza had taken these classes twice already. She needed to pay close attention, because she had not retained the information from her previous sessions. The fact that she was not highly skilled in the practical aspects of class had always frustrated her. Exams and papers went smoothly, so classes were never failed, but she just could not seem to duplicate what the theory had promised. Tranfiguration had been her first reminder of this fact.

"Ms. Parker, its swish right, flick up, snap down," Professor McGonagall reminded her in an exasperated tone.

"I know I am trying," Eliza muttered, attempting the motions again. She knew Minerva was aware of the real reason she was at the school, and felt the older woman really did not need to keep drawing this negative attention to her. She already felt like an idiot. Pansy was smirking at her, and it was not helping Eliza's concentration.

"I want a foot-long essay on why each movement needs to be exact in order for the correct transformation to occur," Mcgonagall called to the class, stopping to give a pointed look at Eliza. There was a chorus of moans, and some narrowed eyes in Elizabeth's direction. _Great, that's going to help with the whole popularity thing. Thanks a heap,_ she mused.

When it seemed as though the lesson would never end, Eliza found herself making her way through the halls towards her next subject: defense against the dark arts. It would be her moment of truth. She was not sure what emotion would overtake her when she would be so near to him for the first time. Before she even entered the classroom she had decided to sit in one of the seats farthest back. When those seats were hastily taken before she could even get all the way through the door, she had to settle for a seat near the middle of the room.

Five minutes later, she could hear footsteps coming towards the door. She looked down at her desk, picked up her quill, and gripped it tightly, trying to give herself an occupation. Next came the sound of a door swinging open. She sucked in a breath, and the quill fell back onto her parchment. Then his voice pierced the room, and she could no longer keep from looking up, but he was not looking at her.

He began his speech that was meant to intimidate. Some remarks meant especially to hurt Harry, or to elevate his house, and the general no-tolerance expectations he held. In the middle of his speech, for one moment only, he faltered, and then continued on as usual. Eliza breathed a sigh of relief. He did not know her. In fact, throughout the entire class, he did not pay the slightest attention to her. She felt safe to study him acutely.

In fifteen years he was remarkably altered, and yet exactly the same. The years had not only aged him, but also seemed to have weighed him down. He had circles so dark under his eyes that she wondered if he had slept at all in the past three days. A glance at his hair and skin made her question if he had bathed either. It seemed as though he had stopped taking care of himself in anyway. Deep frown lines were set in his face, as well as wrinkles around the eyes and eyebrows, as if his eyes were constantly narrowed. It almost hurt to look at what he had done to himself.

However, his personality remained as unchanged as ever. His tone still implied idiocy in whomever he was speaking to, and his words always harsh. He may have always put his slytherins on a pedestal, but when talking one-on-one with a member of his house, he was not kind or warm. It seemed as if he radiated coldness.

Her anxiety had almost diminished right up until the moment he called her name. Class was dismissed, and Eliza was trying to slink away unnoticed, when "Ms. Parker" caused her to halt instantly, and an unfortunate Gryffindor smacked into her. She barely felt him, but the dark haired boy looked at her peculiarly as he rubbed the shoulder that had hit her back. It must have felt like running into a brick wall. She quickly apologized and made her way back to Snape's desk.

"Yes, Sir?" She questioned, trying not to look him straight in the face. She could feel his eyes on her own face, and heard the quickening of his heartbeats. This was not a good sign.

"Welcome to Slytherin," he said distantly, as if that was not really what he had had in mind. "I was told this is your first time at such an institution."

"Its true, I was tutored up until now," she replied looking sideways, remembering her story, and feeling dejavu. Fifteen years ago precisely she was telling this man the exact same words, only with much less apprehension.

"I see," was his reply. He did not speak for a few moments, and seemed to be very deep in thought. An instant later and his breathing became even; his pulse began to slow, but still he did not seem at all relaxed. Of course it was possible that he was never relaxed. "Well as your head of house, I am to go over your career plans with you. This was supposed to be done last year, but of course, you were off traipsing around the country."

_Is he already starting with his unnecessary remarks?_ Eliza thought bitterly. _What am I even supposed to say to that?_ As much as she loved this man she couldn't stand him. It was like owning a rottweiler; something you cherished in its sweet moments, or when it was protecting you, but otherwise every time it opened its mouth you wanted to smack it with a newspaper.

"Yes, my father travels for his job," was all she replied.

"And your mother?" he asked, peering uncomfortably close to see her features. It looked like he was searching for something in them. She knew she needed to get out of there.

"She's dead," Eliza said with insolence, daring him to say something else about it.

"Well this Friday, after classed, I would like to have the meeting," Snape surprisingly reverted back to the subject. "Does that agree with you?"

"Well actually I have-"

"Good, see you then," he said cutting her off. "And don't be late."

With that he stood, and motioned towards the door. Elizabeth rolled her eyes while he was behind her. Suddenly she felt as if her brain was being pulled apart. She quickly closed it back together, and whipped around. "Was there anything else you needed professor?" she spat, her lips curling in disbelief at what he had just done.

"I do not take that sort of tone from my students, Ms. Parker. Five points taken so that it never happens again." And with that he swept out of the room.

Eliza did not know how to feel. She knew part of her was hurt by his behavior, but how else was he to have acted. She was supposed to be just another student. That was the plan, and she always stuck to the plan. The desire to reach out and touch him had been overwhelming, but also impossible. They had shared but one kiss in their past, and that had not turned out as well as she had hoped. She needed to try to cut free from her feelings for him. She needed to stay focused.

And what the heck was with the legilemency attempt? He was not even supposed to do that on a student unless he was teaching it. What exactly had he hoped to find? She feared he suspected more then he had let on, but decided to wait, and throw him off. _I just need to be very, very careful with my thoughts around him,_ Eliza decided.

Lunch was almost over by the time Eliza sat down. She sat next to the few people she knew, but once again did not join into the conversation. Instead she listened. She was not picking up anything particularly useful to the cause, but some things were at lease mildly entertaining. Such as how a second year had intended to make a green frog into a blue frog for tranfiguration, yet had only managed to cover his entire body with warts. That poor kid was spending his lunch hour in the hospital wing.

She decided to try the Griffindor table. It was difficult to hear because it was the farthest table from her own, and many voices were drowning out the whispers she was trying to catch. Eliza focused on the discussion Harry Potter and a boy, she had learned was Ron, were having. She snorted a little when she realized they were bashing Severus, but a strange look from Millicent caused her to sober instantly. A bushy haired girl's attempts to stick up for him made her oddly jealous. _Get a grip,_ she told herself;_ you are acting like a teenage girl. Stop taking the role so much to heart. _She went back to her lunch.

The rest of the day went by as slow as it possibly could. She saw no more of Severus, not even at dinner, and then chided herself for even wanting the glimpse. She had two homework assignments to finish for the next day, and was already grumbling to herself how much she was going to hate doing homework again. _I should have come back as a teacher_, Eliza mused as she pulled out her potions book, and then laughed at herself. _Yea right, how could I teach the class if I can barely pass it?_


	4. Chapter 4

Something smelled delicious. She knew she should not follow it. That it would only be a temptation, and to be so close to it and still walk away would make her very irritable. It was like when someone who was dieting, or had diabetes smelled homemade cookies coming from the oven. They knew that was all they could do; smell them. Even though their mouth was watering, and thought that maybe one tiny morsel wouldn't hurt.... but it could. It could only lead to two things: discovery or death. But she had to follow the scent.

It was just as Eliza thought. A couple of third year students were shouting, throwing hexes, and even fists. She stepped between them, lion and snake, and told them to knock it off. The sandy-haired Gryffindor, who had blood running down his mouth and chin, managed one final hex, but it did not make it to its target with Elizabeth in the way. Looking back, she probably should have at least pretended to feel the pain. It would have been the equivalent of someone kicking her in the ribs. But she could not stop staring at the child's chin, and the sweet smell that was coming off of it.

"What is going on here?" Came the voice of a very annoyed Professor Snape.

"He started it," was all the slytherin needed to say for the wrath to begin.

"I understand how you need to show your _bravery_ and all," Severus sneered down at the angry, yet frightened child. "But there is a rule of no fighting in the school, so twenty-five house points shall be taken from Gryffindor."

Eliza had backed up a few feet from the bleeding child, but was in disbelief when the child said nothing. Was he too afraid? Or had he really started it? Somehow Eliza believed it was the former.

"Did you really start it?" she mouthed to him. He shook his head slightly in the negative. Her throat was beginning to burn, but she had to say something, especially since the Slytherin boy looked so smug. She may be a "syltherin" today, but she really felt no loyalty for any house. How could she when she had already been in three?

Snape was already moving away, so she caught up with him. "I believe they were both fighting, Professor," she told him accusingly. He stopped in sheer shock.

"Excuse me?" he glared down at her.

"Both boys were fighting, and you only took points from one," she crossed her arms. The other boys had left the hallway, and Eliza was able to focus on the problem at hand. "That is hardly fair."

"You would encourage the loss of your own house points?" Snape's expression and tone held disbelief.

"Well no, but it still wasn't really fair. You don't really know who started it."

"First of all, Ms. Parker, life is not fair. Second of all, if the Darren had not started it, would he not have contradicted what Melvick had accused? Thirdly, do not ever question me again, or you will feel the regret of such an action." And with that, he turned from her and sauntered down the hall.

_What had I really hoped to gain from that?_ Eliza questioned herself. _Did I expect anything different?_ Eliza knew herself. As pragmatic as she could be, she also had an explosive temper, and once focused on an injustice, some of her logic escaped her. It was something her father had always frowned on.

"You need to get a hold of those emotions," her father, Steven, had told her one night when she was ten. "You could have really hurt that boy. You are much stronger than he is."

"I was being careful," Elizabeth assured him. "But you didn't see. He pushed that little boy down, and everyone was watching, but nobody helped him." She did not understand why she was being reprimanded for helping someone. She knew the dangers. Her parents warned her every day. "All I did was push him back."

"Lizzy, he flew four feet into the air," her mother replied with her hand on her hip. They were in the kitchen, in their secluded, but large brick home. It was just after nightfall, and her father had come up from downstairs. She had hoped her mother would not have ratted her out to her father about the afternoon's events, but no such luck.

"Well fine, I won't do it again," Eliza promised.

But she did do it again. Twice. The first time, right after she had left Hogwarts and went to her first university, she heard muffled screams coming from one of the dorm rooms. Fearing the worst, she tore the door off the hinge, ready to fight off any attacker. The young woman, who had been merely screaming into her pillow out of frustration over a math problem, could only stare in complete shock and fear at Eliza as she burst into the door. Eliza promptly left the school.

The second time was, unfortunately, was not as harmless. To be fair, the man was vile and at fault, since he was trying to mug her in an alley, at gunpoint. Eliza was not afraid, for the gun could do very little damage to her, but she was furious. What if he had not chosen Eliza? What if it was some tiny woman who could not defend herself? Eliza told him exactly where he could stick his gun.

She knew the fist was coming, but did not flinch when the knuckles hit her mouth. It was _his_ skin that broke on contact. She was about to give him a very smug look until she wet her lips with her tongue. She went into a frenzy, unable to control herself. It was the first and only time she had lost it. She had spent the next decade, trying to perfect her immunity, and was just about there. It was that one type, the rarest, that seemed to consume her. And that little boy could have paid the price.

******************************

Eliza quickly wrote down some notes of what she had learned that day. Most of it was trivial, but sometimes when you look back, the most trivial of information could have stopped something drastic and horrible from happening if anyone had thought to take it seriously.

According to Pansy, while talking across the classroom to Millicent, Draco had been acting odd. He was more short-tempered than usual. He was too busy for her, always needed to "work on something" and Pansy thought maybe he was cheating on her.

Draco kept almost entirely to himself, with the exception of ordering a few of his friends around. She could see he never relaxed his shoulders, and in class, often stared hard at his desk, as if trying to work out a problem that was not on the parchment.

Eliza decided she needed some more information from Dumbledore. She would see him first thing in the morning. She put aside her noted, turned off the light, and snuggled into bed. Then she remembered tomorrow was Friday, and realized she would be spending time alone with Severus. It was not for several hours that Eliza finally managed to fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

It was still dark when Eliza pulled the covers aside. She had always been early to rise, but late to sleep. She did not require much. Four hours was a well-rested night, and provided a full day's energy. Her other roommates were snoring quietly in their beds, and Elizabeth tiptoed into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

The first thing she needed to do was touch up the roots of her hair. She hated dying it, not only because it damaged her hair, but also because it needed to be done so frequently. Her natural color was a pretty chestnut-brown, and now she had to ruin the lovely shade. But changing her appearance was unavoidable. She picked up the Champaign-blonde box and went to work. This was the first time she had ever been a blonde. Last time she was here, she had red hair, which went lovely with her hazel eyes. The blonde did not seem to suit her as well.

After a quick shower, she put a silencing charm around the bathroom and began to blow-dry. It took a long time, because her hair was halfway down her back, but she drudged on. _This is ridiculous, no one should spend over an hour to get ready, just to go to class,_ she told herself. But she knew why she was taking so much time, and just did not want to admit it. After spending an additional thirty minutes to curl her hair and put on make-up, she was thoroughly disgusted with herself. _Why am I trying to impress him when I am supposed to be avoiding him!_

After dressing in her uniform, she snuck out the door and into the hallway. The sun had come up by now, and she was anxious to get to the headmaster's office. Double-checking that she had her notebook in her bag, she raced to meet Dumbldore.

When she entered his office, she realized they were not alone. Snape had turned in his seat to glare, and she was not sure what to do. He looked worn out, as if he had not slept at all during the night. She could only stare at him, when Albus broke the silence.

"Well Severus, please keep me posted," Dumbledore told him, gently dismissing him from the room. Snape got up, walked briskly past her, and shut the door with a little more force than was necessary.

"Eliza, what have you-" but he was cut off when she stopped him by putting her finger to her lips. Snape had not yet walked away. After several moments she decided his footsteps sounded far enough away.

"Okay, he is gone," she told him. "And very little to answer your question.

"You can read minds now too?" Albus joked.

"Ha, I wish. That would be so useful. Which is more than I can say for the information I have gathered so far."

"Well it has only been a week. I did not expect the puzzle to be put together so quickly," he assured her. "I am just happy that there is some extra help in case there is an unexpected attack."

Eliza sighed. "About that professor. I am afraid there is more danger than I feared, and not by death eaters. There is a boy here. A boy who has AB-. I have already warned you about-"

"Elizabeth, I have complete faith in you, and I would not have invited you here unless I was positive that no one would be put at risk," he said sternly. "Now what have you learned.

_Besides the fact that I cannot finish a sentence, _she mused. Dumbledore was always like this. He always had "complete faith" but she was not a fool. He was a great man and brave, but he was also knew when the benefits were greater than the risks. Would he put one boy in danger to save fifty more? Probably. Would he tell someone whatever they needed to hear in order to gain what he needed from them? Most definitely.

"Draco is being distant, even with his closest friends. Harry, well he is just really irritated with being in the "Slug Club," and all," Eliza said smiling. "And I can't blame him. Professor Slughorn seems to be a bit of a nutter." Dumbledore only smiled, and let her continue. "He also seems to be improving in potions, and for some reason the Granger girl does not approve. Maybe he is cheating or something."

"Well thank you Prefect Parker, but I doubt that," he laughed. "However, I will be giving him a special mission in regards to Professor Slughorn. I want him to retrieve a memory, but I also want him to do it alone. Well, of course Hermione Granger will probably serve somewhat as a research guide, but I want him to _feel_ he is doing it on his own."

"So this is your way of saying butt-out?" Eliza chuckled.

"Well not only that, but also don't be surprised if he exhibits suspicious behavior. At this point I am encouraging it. I am trying to not so subtly train him for his even greater battles."

"I understand, Professor. I will stick closer to Draco Malfoy. However, I would like to know a little bit more about him, so I know what is normal and abnormal behavior."

Almost an hour and a half later, after an in-depth discussion about the "House of Malfoy", Eliza sat down in her seat before Professor Binns. She could understand why many felt the subject boring. Monotonous tones could do that to a person. However, this was the one class that did not have a practical side. She couldn't blow anything up by accident, or turn her hair purple. And some things she had learned by heart, after not only taking this class already, but also actually living through some of it.

Such as how not just a few members of the nazi party had been made up of evil wizards. Many soldiers, in fact, had magical blood. The dark ones joined to help initiate and aid, since muggles killing other muggles made their own jobs easier. Others had joined to protect the innocent. Sometimes the world was a bit off balance. Muggles had themselves _and_ wizards to fight in muggle wars, but wizards had to defend themselves. Not only themselves, but also protect ignorant muggles, when it came down to wizard wars. Her mother had explained this to her when she was a child. She was just a baby when the Second World War began, but she could remember some of the details near the end of it. Her mother had put together many volunteer drives to help the soldiers.

At the end of her last lesson, Eliza trudged down the hallways to meet Professor Snape. This discussion would be just another rouse. They were to talk about which classes to take in order to prepare for further education. She had five college degrees already. She really did not need any more assistance.

"Let's made this as quick as possible," was Snape's greeting.

"Alright then," she replied, irritation already creeping into her voice.

"Dumbledore gave me a copy of your O.W.L. scores. I've seen better," he sneered. "But I am sure we will find something for you."

_Oh how kind of Albus to make things so accurate_, Eliza griped to herself. _Guess he was basing them off of my originals_. The only O.W.L Eliza had managed above an "A" was in history of magic. Most everything else was a flop.

" I will help make this meeting exceedingly short," Eliza ventured. "I plan on being a muggle kindergarten teacher, and do not intend on having a magical career at all."

Snape seemed surprised and displeased at the same time. "You are forsaking your magical background after you graduate?"

"Not entirely, I just want to work with muggle children. We both know how little skill I have," she said, smiling at a memory.

"Do we?" Severus questioned, his heart began to beat faster. She did not catch it because she was still reminiscing

One day, as Severus was walking, she noticed he had a piece of parchment attached to his boot. Hoping to help him, she tried to use a simple spell to dislodge the paper from his foot, but instead sent him tripping several feet in from of him. He was angry until he realized who made the blunder. He had often tried to ignore her defects in magic.

"Remember that time-" Eliza caught herself, completely pissed that she had made such a error. What was she doing! This man was making her lose it. She could smell the adrenaline beginning to build in his veins, and realized she was close to danger. "Um, never mind. Can I go now?"

"We have not discussed which classes you will need to take," he reminded her, breathing deeper to try and steady his voice. He got a sudden flash in his eye and asked her, trying to be nonchalant, "You seem somewhat familiar, have I taught any of your relations?"

Eliza swallowed hard. She could say yes to throw off suspicion, but if he were referring to "Bethany Morgan" it would only cause more pain when he asked about "her". She decided to say no.

"You're sure? No cousins or siblings, or aunts maybe?" he was almost sounding desperate.

"No Sir. None. My mother did not even attend Hogwarts."

"Was she a muggle, is that why you prefer to live in the muggle part of town?" he questioned, almost harshly. He was ready to pry her mind open if he had to.

"No, she just did not attend Hogwarts. And before you ask, my father did not attend either, and yes, he is a muggle," she said heatedly. That was not completely true, her father was not a muggle, but he was not a wizard either, and she really wanted to get this over with.

"Do I need to remind you about your tone, Ms. Morgan?" he sneered at her.

She caught the slip immediately, but then wondered if it was meant to be a trap, in order to get her to reveal something. She had already made enough mistakes already; she wasn't biting.

"My name is Parker sir," she said coldly.

"I apologize. It seems I have to many faces to keep track of," he lamely excused himself. "You may go."

When Eliza shut the door and walked about fifteen years away, she heard a crash that caused her to stop in her tracks. From the sounds, it seemed to be something small and wooden smashing into a large pane of glass. She almost went back to him, but decided against it. Instead she ran, blindingly fast down the empty corridor, away from any temptations to return to Severus.


	6. Chapter 6

After that incident, Snape ignored her in class as much as possible. It was three weeks before he ever called on her to give an answer, and about a month before Eliza realized she was being carefully watched. Not just in class, but everywhere. He watched her during meals, in the hallways, and even once or twice in the library. He was careful to make his glances circumspect, but Elizabeth knew when she was under the radar. She chose to ignore it, pretend she had no idea, but it was sometimes nerve-racking

Eliza was pretty well accepted into the Slytherin groups now. She did not stay with any one particular clique. Not only could she gain more information this way, but Eliza was also carefully avoiding growing close to anyone. She would not deal with that separation again. She was having fun for the moment. However, she still did not like to have every smile, every laugh, and every movement scrutinized. It was beginning to try her patience.

Eliza was currently in the library with Draco, trying to study for a tranfiguration exam. Neither student was very much into studying. Draco kept starting at his notes, but from the fact he never got any further, nor did his eyes move from side to side, it was easy to tell he was thinking about anything but the past lectures.

"Draco, are you ok?" Eliza asked, concerned. "You seem like something is bothering you."

"I'm just stressed," Draco replied with a sigh, setting his notes aside.

"Anything I can help with? I'm pretty good at listening," she assured him. He seemed to consider this a moment, glanced around the library to make sure no one was around, and leaned in closer to her.

"Is your family, you know, on a special side right now?" he said hinting about the power struggle going on in the wizarding world. She could feel his heartbeats increase in speed at just the mention of the subject.

"Oh," she said, pretending to be surprised, "Not really. My mom, well she died last year-"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Draco cut in, a sad look overtaking his features. Eliza was now aware of his family condition, and she sort of felt bad for him. She knew he had been brainwashed from the time he was born, but that could not sway her decision to bring down his plans in anyway possible.

"Its ok, I had a long time to prepare for it," Eliza replied. _Over sixty years_, Eliza told herself. "But to answer your question, no. My dad is too wrapped up in his research and business. He doesn't spend enough time in once place to question the politics. And I really do not have any other family."

"Oh. Well how do you feel?" he asked her, sweat actually starting to appear on his brow. This was not really a subject that was encouraged. She needed to keep him going, but also not give very much away either.

"Well trust me, its no secret that most slytherins want the dark lord to return. I am pretty neutral, since I probably will be half-way around the world as soon as we graduate, so I think everyone is entitled to their opinion."

Draco seemed quite satisfied with her answer. Maybe she should not have used the title "The dark lord" because it seemed an encouragement in order to convert her. She was trying to stay at his level, but maybe she had brought herself too far down to his level.

"Well, if you are interesting, we are having this meeting-" but he was cut off by swooshing of capes and the slamming of a door. Severus sauntered past their table, taking a quick glance at the two of them, and then heading into an aisle of books. He pulled three out, didn't even check them out, glared at them again, and strode out the door. Any courage that Draco had mustered before had suddenly vanished. Instead of finishing his invitation, he decided that he had studied enough, and was going to bed.

_Stupid idiot!_ Eliza vented at Snape, though he was no longer there. _I was so close. So close! How much information did I just lose because you decided to be loud and menacing at the wrong moment! Ugh!_

Eliza picked up her books and left the library. She decided it was time for a late night meeting with Dumbledore, to tell him what she _almost_ discovered. As she neared the door, she could hear two voices arguing; one was shouting, and the other trying to calm the outbursts. She stood to listen.

"I'm telling you, something in not right with that girl," Severus hissed. "Do you not see the resemblance? Her eyes? Her voice? I am telling you, its Beth."

"Severus, be reasonable. That was fifteen years ago. Ms. Morgan is thirty-two years old now!" Dumbledore told him logically.

"Then it is a glamour." He said emphatically.

"A glamour? A glamour for _what_?" Albus asked him, trying to show him the idea was pointless. "And what glamour is _that_ good?"

"Maybe it is not her, but someone using a glamour to make me _think_ its her," Snape decided.

"Who would do that and for what purpose?" Albus challenged. The old man was getting very tired of dodging this issue all the time. He knew this whole situation would have been easier if Eliza had let him inform Severus from the start.

"That is what I intend to find out," Snape spat.

"Have you just stopped to consider that maybe Elizabeth Parker is just a sixteen year old girl, who happens to resemble someone you lost and cared about very much, and so you are _looking for something more_." Albus demanded. Snape looked away for a moment, but then fixed a look of determination on his face.

"I will get to the bottom of this."

Eliza was frozen outside the door, she did not have time to process his words because his footsteps were coming towards her at a rapid pace. She fled away from the headmaster's office as fast as she could. Two minutes later she was in the slytherin common room. She took a few moments to review his words. He would never stop now. Not until he knew the whole truth. Not just who she was, but what. It was only a matter of time.


	7. Chapter 7

_"Ms. Morgan, am I boring you," _Severus questioned the figure leaning on his shoulder. She opened her eyes and raised her head to look at him. "_I am not going to keep reading this if you are just going to fall asleep."_

_"Your voice is just really relaxing,"_ The young red head assured him. "_Trust me, only you can make potions sound interesting."_

_"Well you really need to pay attention if you are going to pass my exam on Tuesday." _Severus shifted uncomfortably. He hated to refer to the fact he was her professor. It made their spending alone time together seem wrong. He knew they often crossed the boundaries of normal student/teacher behavior. She could read what he was thinking in his face.

"_I know. That is why I am here. And I am listening, please continue,"_ she urged.

"_Maybe you should have someone else help you,"_ he sighed, placing a marker into the potions book. "_Harriet is top in your class. You should ask her."_

_"But you are the best," _she replied coyly, giving him that playful smile he loved so much. It was what had caught his attention the first time he laid eyes on her. She pushed her tongue against the back of her front teeth in such a way that made her look not only adorable, but sexy as well. But he was still her teacher, and he was trying his best not to cross any lines.

_"But I am also your professor,"_ he reminded her for the hundredth time. He was reminding himself as well. They often spent time alone together, sometimes schoolwork related, sometimes not. There were often physical touches that seemed to communicate years of friendship, yet they had not known each other that long. Their relationship was not sexual, but it was intimate. Far more intimate than his position as an authority figure should allow.

"_Which is why you should be _teaching_ me," _she giggled, opening the book once more. "_Tell me again about the lasting-flies."_

_"Its lace-wing-flies," _he corrected her amused. "_A very important ingredient."_

_"I know. I was just making sure you were paying attention," _she said haughtily.

The corners of his mouth turned up and he continued reading. Once again she laid her head on his shoulder. After a half an hour went by, he could hear her breathing deep and even. He put the book aside, summoned the sofa pillow, and let her fall on top of it into his lap.

He sat there for another twenty minutes, just enjoying her presence. When her hair fell into her face he gently pulled it back, and let his hand rest on the crown of her head. Her physical appearance reminded him so much of Lily, and yet she was not like Lily at all. She was intelligent in her own way. Very practical, but had her passionate moments. She amused him, and frustrated him, and had attracted him in such a way that for a moment he could see happiness within his reach. He just needed to wait to grasp it.

His heart was pounding at the idea of another professor walking in. It was true that his office was off-limits without his permission, but when one felt guilty, all sorts of paranoia begins to form. He could not wait for the four months to pass before her graduation. With no sign of Voldemort, it seemed as though he actually had a chance to move on and live his life. And with any luck he would manage to keep her in it.

"_Did I fall asleep?"_ she asked groggily, wiping away a little bit of drool, and sitting up.

"_I told you I was boring you," he jested. "What kind of Ravenclaw are you?"_

_"The worst, I assure you," she said cheekily, her eyes flashing just a little. _

_"You should have been in Slytherin,"_ Severus told her with a smirk.

"_I would have made a terrible Slytherin. I'm not very good at manipulation_," she replied, smoothing her skirt.

"_I beg to differ. How long have you "secretly" been having Elliot Diller doing your transfiguration homework for you?"_ His eyebrow rose slightly.

"_Oh, well, you know, transfiguration is so tedious_," she tried to avoid the subject. "_But still, I don't look arrogant enough to be in Slytherin either_."

"_Well you got me there_," Severus snorted.

"_Wizards' chess?"_ she asked, pointing to the chessboard.

"_Potions exam,"_ he countered, pointing down at her book.

"_I don't see why we have to actually brew the potion. Can't we just take a test on what the directions are? I'm sure I could pass that_," she pouted.

"Its true, I was hoping to avoid another cauldron melting in my classroom," Severus teased. "_Of course, the fact that you keep melting cauldrons shows you are not very good at following directions_."

She playfully, but very carefully, nudged his shoulder. He rolled his eyes and picked the book back up. However, after five minutes they were seated in front of the chessboard, Severus making his first move.

"You always get your way," he told her, only half serious. "Its hardly fair."

"_Not always_," she mumbled, but he still heard her.

"_Such as_?" he inquired, a bit of eagerness in his voice.

She thought a moment, and then decided against what she had wanted to say. It was best not to encourage him. It would only hurt him more in the end.

"_You never let me win_," she said sticking out her tongue.

*****

Eliza woke with a start. The dream was very vivid, and she guessed it was because it was more of a memory than a dream. She remembered the night exactly, down to what moves they made at the chessboard. Only the dream enhanced the physical feelings that sometimes fade in a memory. She could feel his skin touching hers, his breath as she lay on his shoulder, his heart pounding when she looked at him a certain way. It was too much. She needed to get out and get some air.

Very carefully she made her way out of the common room. She listened at the door, and could hear someone breathing down the hall. She recognized the footsteps, and dashed down the opposite end of the hallway. Deciding that the window was faster than the door, she jumped the three stories and landed softly on the grass.

Elizabeth let herself fall against the stone wall and take in the night sounds. She could hear hoof beats in the forbidden forest, little feet scampering around, and all sorts of sounds that she did not recognize. She inhaled deeply and tasted the air. It was crisp, and smelled somewhat of pine. The snow would fall soon, any day now. Eliza loved winter.

In winter the days are shorter and the nights are longer. She hated the fact that her father was cooped up all day long. But he had no choice. Once he was changed, his body had a completely new composition. That composition did not give him any protection from ultraviolet rays. People had a misconception about his kind and sunlight. Yes, it burned them, but not like what they pictured. It was not a sudden explosion of flame. It was more like five seconds of sun exposure compared to five hours for a human. So being out in the sun for more than a few minutes at a time would kill the skin cells.

Eliza had been lucky to inherit her mother's skin. It could have gone either way. A fifty-fifty chance that she would have been a prisoner indoors for half of her existence. That could be a long time for someone who's life expectancy was averaged at nine-hundred years; maybe even a thousand or more. She could not live forever, not like her father, but he had passed her genes that would slow the death of her body. He had passed her many genes that were useful.

A heightening of her senses, to put it mildly, was just the beginning. She could also run ten times faster than any man, and was ten times stronger. Her skin was as thick as a dragon's. It made it nearly impossible to be affected by spells meant to physically damage. Everything but her hair, it seemed. She had her mother's hair and eyes. Those, with her skin, were really the only things she inherited from her mother. Except her mortality, of course.

Her mind was another matter. Her mind could be affected as any other. If anyone caught her off guard, they could gain access to her mind. That was something she needed to protect at all costs. Not only for herself, but if anyone found out what she was capable of, and put her under the imperious cure, all hell could break loose.

She could her footsteps above her. Severus was nearing the window now. _Oh why does that man have to be an insomniac?_ She mused. _I just want some peace and quiet!_ Not taking any chances, Elizabeth ran around to a different wing of the castle. She had only been still a few moments when she heard voices coming from the center of a group of bushes.

_Maybe this is the meeting! _Eliza thought excitedly. _Maybe I can learn something after all._ She crept in closer to make sure she didn't miss anything. In the next instant, the voice of Draco Malfoy rang into her ears.

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A/N: What does she discover? Find out next time :)

Thanks again for the reviews guys. They really make my day.


	8. Chapter 8

"He is ready to come back and take power," A very urgent voice declared. The hushed whispers were no match for Eliza's hearing capabilities. It sounded as if Draco Malfoy was talking directly to her. She wished she had her notebook with her. She would just have to memorize his words and make notes later.

"How will he do it?" came a shaking female voice. "How do you know?"

"Don't question me," Draco spat. "I don't know exactly how, but trust me, it will be soon."

"Well what do you want us to do?" Came a husky male voice. Doyle, Eliza was sure.

"Whatever I need. Right now I am going to need some of you to keep watch for me. Potter keeps snooping around, and I can't let him no what I am up to."

"What are you up to?" Pansy asked him outright.

"I told you not to ask me questions!" he said annoyed. "I can't answer specifics. But, I think I have found a way to lead a battle here. I will know soon enough if it can be done. That's all I can tell you."

"So you led us all the way out here to tell us we need to guard you?" Crabbe asked in disbelief. "We always look out for you."

"I can't take any chances," Draco hissed. "And I need you to disguise yourselves. I don't first years or something."

"How are we supposed to get a hold of polyjuice potion?" Doyle gasped. "You know I can't brew that stuff."

"Relax, I already stole some from Snape," Draco waved a hand. Just pick someone and add the hair. You will be fine."

"Did you tell Snape what's going on?" Pansy asked.

"No," Draco responded darkly. "And I forbid any of you to tell him either."

"But maybe he can help," Doyle suggested.

"I said no!" Draco spat. "I don't want him involved. I don't know if he can be trusted. My aunt says he can't. And even if he really is on our side, he is a glory hog. The dark lord gave this task to _me_, and he is not going to get in my way."

The others fell silent. This was not a fight they wanted to be involved in. All of them were fairly certain the dark lord had given Draco this task as a punishment, not to show some type of faith in him. They all, including Draco, were trying their best to pretend it wasn't so. No one wanted Draco killed.

"He also told me to watch _the new slytherin._" He added in a somewhat unsure tone. "Told me she seemed useful, and to keep an eye on her, like, see where she stands I guess."

"Why? What's so special about her?" Pansy asked confused. "I mean, I don't want to be mean, I like her and all, but she kind of sucks with a wand."

Eliza was tempted to laugh at the comment, except for the fact that the dark lord was interested in her. She was not someone who stood out, so what did he know? And more importantly, what did he want?

"I know, I thought the same thing," Draco shrugged. Eliza could hear the bushes swish with the movement. "I don't really get it. I mentioned her one day to my aunt, to see if maybe she knew her. But Bellatrix didn't say really answer. Then suddenly the next day she told me the dark lord had given the order."

"Maybe someone in her family is really connected," Crabbe put out. They all considered it a possibility. After all, she had a lot of money. With money usually came power.

"Well I talked to her. She said she didn't really have any family left. But maybe someone fought in the last war. Who knows? But she did seem a little interested. I'm just going to keep feeling her out."

The meeting seemed to have concluded on that note. Eliza ran as fast as possible back into the castle before she could be seen. For once her restless nights proved to be useful. She had just entered the common room when there was a bright light shining in her face from a wand.

"And where have you been?" Came the angry voice of Severus.

_I could say I was out looking for Pansy,_ she debated, _but I also do not want to rat her out either. I wonder how much he knows. _

"Five students out of bed," Snape said pacing. "And here I am, worried sick."

She Snorted. "Worried sick? You don't seem the motherly type."

"Five points from Slytherin for your cheek!" he bellowed.

_Geeze, you were never like this. I used to play around with you all the time. What happened to you,_ Eliza thought sadly.

"Perhaps you are correct, worried is not an appropriate term. Furious is a better fit." He ranted. "Where are your little friends?"

At that moment four other students were trying to sneak back into the common room, only to come face to face with the wrath waiting for them. They looked from Snape to Eliza, trying to decide if she had told on them. It was clear by his angry scowl at her that he belied her to be part of the group.

"I want to know what is going on, and I am now completely out of patience."

"We had a little party," Draco said in a tone that implied it was no big deal. "Sorry, but we stayed out later than we thought."

"A party? Late? _Its two in the morning!"_ Severus yelled into his face, but Draco did not flinch. "Twenty-five points from each of you, and detention _all week long."_

"_Fine_," Draco answered for all of them, marching past Snape and down the stairs. Everyone else followed but Eliza.

"Well, go to bed," he ordered her, still fuming. She started to walk away until she heard him call "Wait." She turned back. "Why did you arrive almost ten minutes before anyone else? Was there really just a party?" his eyes bore through hers.

"Yep, just a party," she said numbly, trying to get away quickly. "I was supposed to be the lookout, guess I don't make a very good one."

"Clearly," he sneered before striding out the door.

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Elizabeth waited outside Dumbledore's door for him to arrive. This was not an expected meeting, so she could hardly be mad at him for showing up a half-hour later than he would usually take his post. When he met her at the door, his face looked grave.

"You already heard then?" he said sadly.

"Um, I'm not sure. Heard about what?" she asked him, confused. "About Draco?"

"No, Dubmbledore shook his head. About the attack on the Coven of London."

"The-There was an attack?" she said in disbelief. Why? What could be the reason, they are so peaceful."

On the outskirts of London there was a hidden clan of vampires. It was a large group, but all had sworn not to take human lives. Instead, through some finagling of the ministry, they were provided a small portion of donor blood in exchange for their promise not to harm anyone. When her mother had died last year, her father had decided to join the coven.

"What happened?" She had to sit down.

"Death eaters. They were trying to gain their allegiance. Wanted their strength and speed for their army. They know you can only put the imperious curse on a vampire for just a few minutes before he breaks through it. They wanted them to join willingly."

"But of course they would not." Eliza knew most of the vampires well. It was a large coven, made up of ten or so vampires. There were very few covens left, for their kind's numbers had been decimated about a century ago, and few more had been created. The average vampire groups of three and four were scattered around the globe. Of course Voldemort could not pass up such an opportunity. "When did you learn this?"

"IT happened about a week ago, but I only discovered last night. I am so sorry."

"No survivors then?" She sighed.

"No, I'm so sorry."

"How did they manage it? What happened?"

"It was dawn when they approached. There were supposed to be around thirty death eaters in all. I wish they had been more willing to kill," Dumbledore spat. "The death eaters made them an offer, which they refused. The death eaters pretended to respectfully leave, but soon each one had a vampire under the imperius curse. After telling them to sit in the sun, well you know the rest. It was less than ten minutes before it was over."

"They didn't fight?" She said in disbelief.

"They didn't have time, Eliza?"

"Time? I could have outrun them and they are twice as fast as I am!" She said angrily.

"But once the curse had their minds, it was over," Dumblefore said softly.

"Don't tell me how it works, I know!" She shouted. "How do you think our kind has been killed for centuries? There are only two types who can kill a true vampire, a wizard, or another vampire, and we don't really go around killing ourselves."

"They are dark wizards, and it is a tragedy. I am so sorry." He said lamely.

"Both parents," she began to cry. "I knew I would lose my mother, but I thought my father would live forever," she sniffed.

"Maybe you should take a little while off," he told her gently.

"No, that wont help me. All I know is that I want that monster killed as fast as possible," she said determined. Anyone who has enough strength to walk into a coven of vampires and wipe them all out is too powerful. Thank goodness they did not gain them as well, I will at least be grateful for that."

"It was a sacrifice that I wish did not need to be made," Dumbledore said sadly, looking at his hand. "But you are right, he is very powerful. He has too many supporters. Which is why we are trying to take him down from the inside.'

"Professor," Eliza began, sickened at the thought, "Severus was not there that night, was he?"

"Oh no," he assured her gently. "He was no where near. Voldemort would never send someone so valuable to himself. He was not sure if there would be a single survivor from the mission."

"There wasn't, at least not on our side," Elizabeth replied darkly. "Ten Vampires!" she could still not get over it. "You know, I found out last night that Draco is supposed to keep an eye on me. I wonder if Voldemort knows more than I would like him to."

"You think your father betrayed something about you?" Dumbledore asked.

"I have no idea, but I am going to have to be extremely careful from now on."

"How did you know? About Draco?" he asked, surprised.

Elizabeth filled him in on the past night's events. He seemed to be less worried about it than Eliza believed he should be. All he said was "Please continue to keep your ears open."

Eliza decided that taking one day from classes would not hurt. That morning, she lay in her bed and cried until she had no more tears left. She was alone now. She may be surrounded by hundreds of people, but she was utterly alone. She knew it did not fit. Those vampires sacrificed themselves, they must have. She knew what kind of damage her kind was capable, and in the wrong hands they were the deadliest of weapons. They must have taken that weapon out of Voldemort's hands.

She did not go down for any classes or meals that day. Dumbledore had excused her from all activities, but she decided to still go down to her detention. She knew it was not a good idea, but she just had to see Severus. Though they could never be together, at the moment, he was all she had left to live for.

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A/N: not the happiest of chapters :(. Thanks again for your reviews. I will try to update with some happier moments soon.

Dramione: I hope this one is longer for ya :)


	9. Chapter 9

Eliza walked into the classroom just as the other students were arriving. The dark room was filled with a foul odor, and piles of cauldrons sat on various tables. The students sighed in unison. It was clear what their task was going to be.

"Come in quickly," Severus gruffed as he slammed the door behind Draco, the last to enter. "I have given Professor Slughorn a reprieve, and have offered your services tonight." There was a chorus of soft moans. "Silence! Each of you, take a table and begin scrubbing. Use the back sinks." He stormed back over to his desk and began marking papers as the students slowly made their wait over to the stench-ridden tables.

Eliza chose the table closest to Severus. She picked up a cauldron, and almost gagged. Her sense of smell was too keen; she almost wished it were duller. She wrinkled her nose as she moved to the back of the room and put began running the water. This was a sure way to distract herself.

The team worked in silence, washing one cauldron after another, until there were no more left. They had been there for over an hour, and thought their arms were going to surely fall off of their bodies. The girls were silently complaining that the stench would never come out of their hair. Whatever the second years had been working on that day, surely had not been pretty.

"We are done Sir," Draco told him, arms crossed. "Can we go now?"

"I don't think you have quite learned your lesson with that display of attitude," Snape sneered. "Sit at your tables." Suddenly parchment, quills, and ink appeared on each one. He waved his hand towards the board, and a very long series of sentences appeared. "I want this declaration copied two hundred times. Once you have handed your in, get out of my sight," He spat.

Irritable the students picked up their quills and began scratching down the lines. It was not long before Eliza had relapsed back into her dreary thoughts. Her hand was still moving, but her mind was far away, thinking of her father. A tear slid down her cheek but she hastily swat it away. She looked up in time to see Severus looking back down to his essay he was marking. More tears slid down, but she silently kept to her work. If only things were as the used to be. If only she had not run away. She remembered speaking with her father about it.

"_I don't want you to be alone, Lizzy," _Steven had told her concerned. "_It breaks my heart. You were not designed for that kind of life."_

_"I am not designed for any kind of life!"_ she cried out. "_What am I to do? I can't get too close to anyone, or they will find out who I am."_

_"Would he not understand?"_ Her father asked her, desiring to know this man better that his daughter so often spoke of. He knew she loved him. But he also knew the obstacles. Not many humans chose to be apart of their race. Fewer still survived.

"_Who would understand besides Mum?"_ Eliza narrowed her eyes. Her mother was off visiting her family. She always had to go to them, for no one was allowed in the home. Her grandparents had never even met her father.

"_I am not saying it is not difficult, and I am not saying rejection isn't a possibility, it's a probability. But can you not try? Is he not worth the effort?"_

She had thought this over many times. She had been the one to run from him. After graduation, Severus had done the unthinkable. He took her to a secluded part of the forest and kissed her. She would never forget the feeling of euphoria. But the feelings of despair came not long after when she told him she was leaving, and not coming back. He didn't even say goodbye. He walked right out the forest, and never turned back. That was the last time she had spoken to him before coming back.

He was a different man now. Elizabeth knew it must have been difficult for him to feel anything again after the death of his first love. Now she had hurt him too. It was if he had given up any emotion that was not anger or pride. She did not know if he had any love left in him.

Eliza realized she was the last one left in the room, besides Severus. She looked down and realized she had written well over the assigned amount, and sheepishly collected the parchment to hand into him.

"This is not extra credit, Ms. Parker," he told her coldly. "You will still have to write the same amount tomorrow."

"Sorry, Sir," She mumbled, holding back more tears. "I got distracted."

"If you think I will pity your tears, you are wrong," he said with cold eyes. "If you do not like punishment, then I would suggest that you stop breaking rules."

"Its not that, I just- I got some bad news today, and I am not really myself," she said dully. She probably should not be trying to open up to him, but she felt like she was going to burst.

"As your head of house I must inquire, what seems to be the matter?" he asked peering into her eyes. She looked away, afraid he would discover too much in them.

"Its my father," she started, but could not finished because the words became choked as the sobs came.

"Is he hurt?" Severus asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"There was an accident," she sniffed. "He was killed." Eliza felt faint. She had never felt faint in her entire life. Her body was not designed for this type of reaction. It took something earth shattering for her body to lose the utmost control. She put her hands on the desk to steady herself.

"Ok, come sit down," Snape replied, jumping up to shove a chair under her. "Is this why you were not in class today?" She merely nodded. "I was not told why, just that you were ill."

"I asked professor Dumbledore not to tell anyone."

"Suffer in silence?" he said in mock disbelief.

"I don't need pity, nor a bunch of people coming up to me every second to give their sympathies. They did not know him and they barely know me. I would rather deal with it myself.

"Then what am I to do?' he asked, leaning forward. "How long will you be out of class?"

"I will be back tomorrow," she assured him. "There is not going to be a service, so I don't need to leave school. I would rather not get behind."

Severus stared at her. He was not sure what to think. He handled his parents' deaths in a similar way, without the tears of course. He could respect her wish to look for inner strength. He was again reminded of his Beth. He was torn between wanting to believe she had somehow come back to him, and not trusting this being in front of him. He was always looking out for a trap. But her eyes, more green from her tears, and her swollen mouth reminded him so much of her that he wanted to reach out for her. He checked the impulse.

"I'm sorry for your loss," came the expected reply. "We can have a grieving session if you wish."

"No, thank you. I don't want it," she replied, shaking her head. "I just wanted to let you know why I am a bit- off." She stopped crying now, and stared at him. She saw a flicker of his past self. Saw the tiniest bit of concern. Maybe, just maybe, she could repair what she had done. It would take time, but she would try. She wasn't sure where it would lead if she tried to give them a second chance. She didn't even know where to begin, or if it was possible.

_I don't know how I am going to do it, but somehow, I am going to win that man back. _

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I know it wasn't super long, but I wanted to update as soon as possible. Sorry for the dely, I hope you enjoy!


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the week went by in a blur. Eliza had been cautious not to draw too much attention to herself, but her fellow slytherins could sense something was wrong. She tried to smile and laugh in all the right places, and even started to feel less of the pain brought on by the first shock, but it was not hard to see that she was hurting. Draco watched her most acutely, and had asked her twice if she was all right. After their last detention he came up to her once more.

"Eliza, are you sure you are okay?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "You can talk about it, you know?"

"There is nothing to talk about," she told him, trying to smile. "I'm fine."

"Let's walk a different way," he suggested, taking them down an empty corridor. The other three students continued their path to the common room, leaving them alone. Draco stopped and turned to her. "You can't keep pretending," he told her sternly. For a moment Eliza tensed, not sure what he knew. "Why are you keeping it a secret?"

"Keeping what a secret?" Elizabeth whispered.

"Look, I know I am not supposed to know, but I was kind of worried about you, so I asked Snape what was up. He told me about your Dad," he told her in a concerned tone. "I'm really sorry, and-"

"He _What!_" Eliza exclaimed, outraged. _Who the hell does than man think he is?_ She fumed. She promptly turned to go back to the classroom.

"Eliza wait!" Draco called after her, running to catch her quick pace. "Look, don't be mad. I didn't tell anyone else," he told her. Eliza watched him look away as he said so, and felt his heart beat quicken, and his adrenaline rise. She wanted to call him out on his lie, but knew she couldn't. She also wanted to know whom he had told.

"He wasn't supposed to tell anyone," Eliza said darkly. "When did he tell you?"

"Two nights ago, after detention." Sweat was beginning to appear on his brow, but Elizabeth could not understand why. Was he really that afraid of her anger? It was not as if she was mad at him for Snape's betrayal. "We were really worried about you, and I thought maybe he knew what was up. He wasn't going to say anything at first, but then asked me to try and help you."

"So he was, like, worried about me?" she asked in disbelief.

"I guess so. But I didn't tell the other guys or anything. I figured you wouldn't want me to," he said shifting his feet.

"Well, thanks for keeping it to yourself," she said with a sigh.

"Is there anything I can do?" Draco asked, yet his offer did not seem genuine. She knew he was keeping tabs on her, and wondered what he had up his sleeve. Or was he really concerned? This kid was going to make a great spy; he was as hard to read as Severus.

"Not really, but thanks anyway."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" he pressed.

"There was an accident," Eliza said simply. She had barely prepared a cover story, because she did not think Snape was going to rat her out. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Ok, I understand. I'll see you in class tomorrow," he told her, nodding. "I'm guessing you are going to go murder him."

"Yep. See you later," she told him as she walked towards the closed door.

Snape jumped, wand ready when she entered and promptly slammed the door. In his startled state he had knocked over a bottle of ink and it ran down the piece of parchment he had been looking at.

"Ms. Parker, what do you think you are doing?" he bellowed as he quickly righted the inkbottle. "You have just ruined this students work, and I do not think they are going to appreciate it tomorrow when I inform them they will have to redo a two foot essay because of you."

"I really could not give a shit," Eliza sneered as she stomped over to his desk.

"Ten points from slytherin!" Snape said in complete disbelief. "Now listen here young witch-"

"No _you_ listen," she spat. She would have been amused at his reference to her as "young" since she was almost twice his age, had she not been so pissed. "What part of don't tell anyone did you not understand?"

"Sit down, Ms. Parker, and stop this ranting at once," he said with forced calm. She stood straighter and crossed her arms. "I will not tell you again," he warned, pointing to the chair.

Eliza sauntered over to the seat and sat hard, crossing her arms once again and glaring at him. He sat down at his desk and sighed. He should have known better than to trust Draco. He honestly had not known what to do. He thought maybe she would relate to someone her own age, but apparently he thought wrong.

"I was only trying to help," he said in a resigned tone. "I thought that-"

"You thought wrong," she cut him off. "Who knows how many people he has told." _Possible the wrong people,_ she thought to herself.

"He said he wouldn't say anything," Severus assured her, mentally kicking himself. He often wondered at being a head of house. He really had no patience for teenage drama. How was he supposed to be a moral support for children when he had no tolerance for them? Normally he would have just dismissed the issue after she had told him she did not want to talk about it. It had been a way out. But he had spent the night picturing the tears falling onto her cheeks, and could not help but get involved. Now he had made a mess of things.

"You were really just trying to help me?" She asked, sounding suspicious. She had not totally forgiven him, but was rather surprised at his admittance.

"Yes," he emphasized. "But in the future, I would rather not have my efforts be rewarded with childish tantrums," he barked. "I will excuse you this time because of your traumatic circumstances, but so help me, if you ever speak to me that way again, You will be cleaning this entire room with a toothbrush!"

"Understood Sir," she said quietly. There was nothing more she could do. He was her authority figure in this charade. She sat in an angry silence.

"You can leave now," he told her, pointing to the door.

"Are you kicking me out?" she asked him, her chin in the air. He looked at her curiously.

"Did you have a reason to stay?" Severus mocked.

"I can help you or something," Elizabeth offered, tucking her hair behind her ear, and bit her lip.

"Help me with what?" He continued to stare. Her expression looked so familiar, and he felt as if he was going mad. She had all the same little mannerisms. He felt himself being drawn to her. _Just help distract her, that's your job as the head of house. You need to support your students;_ he told himself, absolutely not believing it.

"I can at least help you clean up the mess I helped make," she nodded towards his desk. "And if those are first year essays I can help mark them. I'm pretty good with essays."

"Just not so good at delivery," he snickered. Suddenly they locked widened eyes with each other, and promptly looked away. All of a sudden the room felt a hundred degrees hotter, and they shifted uncomfortably. The desire of each to run away was equally as strong as the desire to be in each other's presence. Neither spoke for a long moment. Snape broke the silence.

"You can help," was all he said. He waved away the mess made by the ink, and set a quill in front of Eliza. The pile of essays was split in two, and they quietly worked side by side for the next hour.

"You should probably go to your dorm," Severus told her in a sigh, as he finished the last of his essays. She still had two to go, but slid them over to him.

"Its Friday, it isn't like I have to wake up early," she mumbled.

"Hmph, with what's in store for you and your classmates on Monday, I suggest you stay well rested, and practice your defensive skills," he said with a smirk.

"What are we doing Monday?" Eliza questioned him suspiciously.

"Dueling," he responded, looking sideways at her, hoping to catch the look on her face. He was not disappointed. She looked horrified.

"What?" she said in disbelief.

"Yes, so I suggest you prepare yourself. You never know what those Gryffindors are capable of," Severus warned. His lips curled upward in grim smile. It seemed as though the expression had taken a lot of effort. Eliza smiled in return.

"Its true. Who knows what Longbottom is going to come up with," she joked. He let out a small chuckle, and stacked the completed essay into a single pile. Eliza was so happy she could dance. This was the closest to relaxed that she had ever seen him in this decade.

"Thank you," she told him. "I mean, you know, for helping me out. I feel a little better."

"Hmmm," was his reply.

"You know, I desperately need some extra credit in Defense against the Dark arts. Any way of finagling that?" she asked, hopeful. All she wanted was time with him. All he needed to do was say yes.

"Like marking first year essays?" he responded with a smirk. "I'm not sure that can really count as extra credit. Its a little below your skill level, don't you believe?"

"Of course second year essays would be much more difficult." She reasoned with him playfully.

"We'll see," was his response.

"We'll see means no," she said pouting.

That pout. He couldn't take it anymore. That pout always wore him down in the end. It didn't matter who was standing in front of him, because it was Beth he saw. He found himself going against every principal. "Every other Thursday. Seven-thirty, do not be late," he said quickly. Her smile was too much. "Now go to bed before I change my mind!"

Eliza did not need to be told twice. She scampered out of the room and down to the common room. Pansy and Draco were sitting on the sofa, and stood the moment she entered the door.

"What happened? Where have you been?" they exclaimed at the same time.

"Well I yelled, got into a bunch of trouble, and then got him to agree to giving me extra credit," she replied cautiously, looking at Draco then at Pansy.

"Draco told me you were really mad about your last exam, and that you were going to fight him about it," Pansy said wide eyed. Eliza could not believe how easily these people could lie through their teeth.

"Yea," Draco agreed, looking pointedly at Eliza to get her to follow along.

"So I am glad he was willing to give you extra credit," Pansy said smiling.

_How lucky that all our little lies coincide_, Eliza mused. "Yea, I was relieved."

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The three students went to bed, and said no more that night. Eliza lay awake for a long time thinking. She thought of her father, and how he would have been proud of her steps to try and reform a relationship with Severus. Normally Elizabeth would have gone to him for advice, but now she was entirely on her own.

Eliza often felt alone in the world. It was what happened when someone should not really exist: the product of a witch and a vampire. A rarity for sure, once thought to be impossible. Though Vampires needed blood to survive, they were not the typical monsters that most humans thought they were. Vampires only needed to feed a few times a year for minimal stamina. Most hunted criminals, or the dying, or had given up killing all together, as the London coven had. They stayed away from human notice.

The vampires that did not live with principles had created the panic humans associated with their kind. A human comfortable in the presence of a vampire was often thought to be insane. For the two kinds to come together was a regular Romeo and Juliet story. For a child to actually survive the blending of the two races was a miracle. Eliza had only met two other people like herself. That was how she learned what she was likely to experience in the course of her life. Such as how her age compared to a full-blooded human witch or wizard, after she had reached maturity. One year in ten. A decade a centaury. It was how she had kept her youthful appearance all these years.

But now there was no one to go to. No mother for her human issues, no father for when her vampire characteristics took over. She could survive on food, but craved a certain type of blood. AB- to be exact. Her father had helped her control her cravings, but who would be there for her now.

And then there was Severus. If she wanted to be with him, it meant eventually coming clean with everything. Telling him basically her life story, and waiting to see if he would embrace her, or run for the hills. _I am getting ahead of myself, I still need to reach him before he can push me away,_ Eliza thought grimly. But tonight had been a start. A good start. And she would have more opportunities to spend time with him. Eliza fell asleep already anticipating Thursday.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed the extra long chapter. If you have any questions, or If something is unclear, feel free to pm me, and I will answer them for you. Thank you again for your nice reviews. And I apologize for any mistakes in spelling or grammar. My eyes usually stop working after about 2 a.m. :)


	11. Chapter 11

"Can't we just tell Severus the truth and be done with it?"

"Um, no," Eliza told Albus for the fiftieth time. "Things are starting to work out wonderfully. We have bend spending so much time together, and getting along well, just like the old days. Why would I want to mess that up?"

It was true, it had been several weeks since Severus had truthfully told her he would allow her extra credit sessions on Thursdays. The first few weeks were spent mostly on work, with a few awkward attempts at conversation, but things were starting to change. Small talk had turned into real inquisitiveness, and both sides were letting the other a fraction closer into their lives. Eliza hated the times she had to make something up in order to fit her story, but she was not going to give up this chance. Dubledore sighed in defeat.

"I just really would like you to have more contacts than myself. Severus is in the order of the phoenix, and he could pass you information from both sides," Albus rubbed his temples.

"Hey, I turned _seventeen_ in November, remember. I can go to the meetings myself. Just tell everyone I am a spy on my fellow slytherin students, which is true, and we can all be on our merry way," she said sarcastically. "Severus and I can pass information, but my cover doesn't have to be blown over it."

"That may not be a bad idea," Dumbledore considered.

"Yea, I come up with good ones every once in a while," she retorted scornfully.

"Eliza, you seem very upset," The older wizard said gently. "What is bothering you?"

"Christmas is in two weeks," she murmured into the fire. "And I officially have no family to go home to."

"Ah, I should have known," he replied kindly. "I'm sorry."

"It isn't your fault," she looked into his face, and moved onto his arm. "How are you doing?"

"Not so well. I am afraid the spreading will not be stopped. I simply fear I will run out of time. There is still so much Harry needs to know."

"How is his mission going?" she inquired, curious.

"Not as well as I had hoped. He needs to be pushed."

"Well I am pretty sure if anything happens to you, he will be pushed right over the edge," Eliza observed.

"That's what I am counting on," came the sad reply.

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Eliza growled in frustration. She was bent over a spattered piece of parchment, and was scrutinizing the words in front of her. A fire crackled behind her, and she was ready to toss the parchment into the flames. Severus looked up curiously above his own essay. The left corner of his mouth curled when he saw her agitated look.

"What seems to be the matter?" he asked in an amused voice.

"I have no idea what this Markus kid is trying to say. His thoughts are incoherent, and I can barely read through all the ink splots. I think he though this together five minutes before class," she vented while making red marks all over his parchment. "I can not believe this boy is in his fifth year."

"Well, as I have told you before, you can take more points off. You are far too lenient already."

Eliza laughed. "Well I am trying to make them feel a little better for their efforts. You already tear them to pieces."

"However, by the continued display of incoherency, It seems as though I have not been getting through to them," he snorted.

"Agreed," she added smiling. "But to be fair, no one has been sent to the hospital wing this week."

"A miracle," he said sarcastically.

Eliza debated whether or not to tell him about her decision to join the order of the phoenix. She did not know how he would react, or if he would even care. She was supposed to keep him as a contact, but would he welcome the aid? She decided to test him out.

"Professor? Has Professor Dumbledore spoken to you recently?" Elizabeth asked innocently.

"Regarding?" Severus asked, a scowl on his face.

"Certain changes that, um, I am involved in," she said nervously. Perhaps she should have let Dumbledore tell him. It was still not too late to delegate that task to the older wizard.

"No. Is there something I should know?" his tone was displeased.

"Oh, well I am sure he will tell you," she said waving her hand in dismissal.

"I would rather you tell me, since you deemed it so important to bring up." He folded his arms across his chest. Eliza looked around the room.

"Is it safe to speak here?" she whispered, hinting at the fact she was giving secretive information. He understood. He waved his wand around wordlessly.

"It is now, you can speak freely," he urged.

"Okay," she sighed. "Here's the thing. I turned seventeen last month," she bit her tongue with the lie, feeling terrible," and I have joined a certain _order_."

"Have you?" he asked, understanding what she meant, but not necessarily showing approval at her words. "And this effects me how?"

"Well, Professor Dumbledor has given me the task of keeping my eyes and ears open, especially regarding my fellow slytherins. I am supposed to keep you informed with anything I learn. He thought it might be useful."

"And you would be willing to turn on a fellow student?" he tested her.

"Absolutely, if I knew they were working for Volde-" she saw him cringe," uh, the dark lord," she finished. He looked at her a bit startled.

"Why do you call him that?" he questioned somewhat suspiciously.

"I know it makes you uncomfortable to hear his name, and I am not too afraid of him to use that _you-know-who_ nonsense."

"And how do you know that?" he asked quietly. The searching look back on his face. He often gave her this look when he was hunting for signs of who she once was. It hurt her not to be able to end his search, and therefore his suffering. Instead she would just look away sadly.

"I pay attention," was all she said. "But anyway, I just thought you should know. He even wants me to go to some of the meetings if I can. But If he is unable to take me, he was hoping you would."

"Well, if that is what he wants, he needs to ask me himself," Severus replied darkly. "I would rather not be put in this position."

"You prefer to work alone," she said with a hint of teasing. "I get it."

"I don't think you do," he said seriously. "I do not believe you know what you have signed up for."

"I guess I will just have to learn the hard way," she gave him his favorite impish grin. "Like always."

He didn't want to speak of the subject any more. He would be going straight to Dumbledore, that was certain, but for now he just wanted to watch her, get close to her.

"Are you always so stubborn?" his ghost smile appeared. She never failed to be surprised when he smiled; it was so seldom. A smirk was his usual expression of amusement. She felt a smirk suited him better, but his smiles gave her hope. Hope that maybe he wasn't as lost as he seemed.

"Yes," she said haughtily, her chin in the air. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No. I don't like pushovers," he replied. "I find them dull and annoying."

"Yet so useful when you need something done," she laughed.

"You make such a good slytherin," he snorted. She laughed.

"Not at all, I think I make a terrible slytherin," she said still amused, but watched all the teasing drain from his features. He solemnly went back to his essay. She wondered what she had done.

"Are you okay?" she asked confused.

"Yes," he told her not looking up.

"I don't believe you, what's wrong?" Elizabeth was concerned.

"Its nothing. You just said something that reminded me of someone else. Its- nothing," he finished lamely.

Eliza then remembered her dream, and the conversation that had taken place. It was just too easy to be her real self around him. She often had dejavu from their past, but ignored it. She could see why it would cause him pain, and felt terrible. She knew she had a second chance with him, but he was ignorant of his own second chance. Instead he was trying to substitute one for the other.

"Who was it?" she asked, angry at herself. It was really just cruel to make him talk about her, but she was dying to know how he felt. He sat a moment, not sure if he wanted to answer.

"She was a young woman, very much like yourself," he said quietly, looking past her, into the fire. "Some years ago, when I had just started teaching."

"The same girl you mentioned before? Beth something?" she pressed.

"Beth," he inhaled deeply, as if he could still taste her by saying her name. "She was, well, very spirited."

"A slytherin?" Eliza asked, knowing the answer full well.

"No. A ravenclaw," he forced down a smile in her remembrance.

"Oh, she was smart then?" Eliza asked, and felt a little affronted when he laughed.

"Well, she had common sense, but you could say she was not at the top of her class."

"I see," she tried not to pout. "What did she look like?"

"She was beautiful," he said in a dream like state.

Eliza snorted. She knew she was far from beautiful. She was pretty, she had nice hair and eyes, and an average build, but beautiful was stretching it. Most people liked her because of her quick wit, and ability to make them laugh. But they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if he wanted to think she was beautiful, she was certainly not going to argue.

"So I sound like her then?" She asked him, feeling meaner by the second.

"Undoubtedly. And you resemble her so much, its uncanny." He said longingly.

"Oh so I am beautiful then?" she teased him, hoping to lighten up the mood.

"I wouldn't voice such an inflated ego," was all he remarked.

"Is that why you asked if she was related to me?"

"Yes."

"How old is she?" Eliza tried to remind him that Beth should be many years older.

"She would be in her early thirties now." He looked away, as if looking at Eliza was too difficult.

"And you don't talk to her anymore?"

"No, she left school, and probably went off and did amazing things," the darkness crept back into his voice.

"Well, I'm sorry," Eliza told him. And she was. She was deeply sorry for abandoning him. After a moment she added, "I wish there was something I can do."

"You can start by finishing those essays," he told her, a little more himself. "I am not giving you extra credit for listening to my life story."

She smiled and went back to the essays. For the better of twenty minutes neither spoke, but Eliza was humming queitly. She knew he was annoyed by the looks he kept throwing her. Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"Ms. Parker, please, I can not concentrate with that racket," he said with clenched fists.

She laughed at his outburst. He had such a small amount of patience, and she loved to antagonize him. However, she still felt bad for making him recall painful memories, so she did as she was asked. The bell began to chime at nine o'clock, and she knew she was out of time.

"I guess that means goodnight," she sighed as she gathered her things.

"Indeed. Are you still coming next week?" Severus questioned.

"Yea, I will be sticking around for the holidays," she said grimly.

"Well, we will be having a few meetings during that time. If I can't convince the headmaster to change his mind about letting you join, then I will take you to the meetings myself," Snape offered.

"Oh how kind of you," she mocked. "In that case I hope Professor Dumbledore is as stubborn as we are."

"We shall see. Goodnight Ms. Parker"

"Goodnight, Professor."

Eliza knew he would not be able to change Albus' mind. At least she would attend the meetings with him. It was another way for them to get closer. She could not wait until this mission was finished. Eliza made a vow to herself. As soon as she left Hogwarts she would tell him everything. From now until then she would get as close to him as possible, and then maybe, just maybe, when she told him the truth, he would stay.

_Like I should have, the first time_, Eliza thought darkly_. Then we would be together right now, and neither of us would be feelings so hopeless. _

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A/N: hey guys, thanks for your awesome reviews. Just wondering, anyone up for crashing a slugclub party?


	12. Chapter 12

"So were you lucky enough to obtain an invitation to Professor Slughorn's little escapade?" Severus asked Eliza, while working on his lesson plans for after Christmas break. She stopped sorting papers to scoff at his words.

"Based on what? My ability to ruin even the simplest of potions?" She mused. "I think not."

"Well I have to make an appearance. He gave me a courtesy invite because I am head of this house," he rolled his eyes. "I could have done without the courtesy."

"So who are you taking as your date? Professor McGonagall?" she teased.

"Actually, I was hoping to show off my new defense against the dark arts apprentice," he said nonchalantly.

"Who's that?" a hint of jealousy in her voice. It better be a he, for she was not going to have any other females prancing around him.

"You," he told her matter-of-factly.

"Me?" she responded in disbelief. "But I am a terrible student."

"Oh come on, you a better in my class than you are in most others," he challenged.

"That's because I am getting extra credit for grading papers!" she said, still astonished. "And besides, I am only in my sixth year. Apprenticeships usually start in the seventh year, or even older."

"Trust me, people will be more surprised by my taking on an apprentice at all, than by your age. And you are seventeen, as you have already pointed out for other matters."

"Well, as much as I would love spending extremely long hours at your side, I am not even making a career in this path."

"Obviously," he said rolling his eyes once more. "But no one else needs to know that. I am not really expecting you to study the art. It's your new title, and the best way to keep your cover. Now when you will be down here giving me your reports, people will not be suspicious."

"You are brilliant, did I ever tell you that?" Eliza grinned.

"Oh, you don't need to. I am well aware," he told her, not quite joking. "So do you accept?"

"Yes of course," Eliza nodded enthusiastically.

"So just wait for me in the great hall, and I will escort you there."

"Such a gentleman," she teased. "Don't worry, you don't have to tell me not to be late. I know you by now."

"And I also know you, which means you will probably be there fifteen minutes early," he handed her another stack of papers to sort. They were creating files for each student in their fifth year, in order to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Severus wanted his slytherins to be especially prepared for their O.W.L.s,

"At least I can keep an eye on Draco," she smiled.

"Is that who you have your eye on?" Snape incriminated with an accusing tone.

"Not at all!" Eliza laughed. "What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, he is a nice looking young man. Many of my students seem to be fluttering their eyes at him," Severus grimaced.

"He's a child!" she retorted.

"He's in your year, what does that make you?" he snorted.

"Well, none of the students here have caught my fancy," she replied truthfully. She hoped he got the hint.

"I know. I was just teasing. We all know you have your heart set on the dear old headmaster," even Severus could not keep a straight face as he said it. He seemed to relax at the knowledge that she did not have an interest in anyone else.

"You are ridiculous," she told him, reaching for another stack of files. It took half a moment to realize her hand was resting on top of Severus', for he had reached out just before her. She stared at the pair of hands, unable to lift hers just yet. His hand felt warm, and it had been too long since she had touched him. He watched her, waiting for her to make the move.

"Um, sorry," she said flustered, finally removing her hand. "I got distracted."

"Not at all," he responded, looking into her eyes, before slowly taking up the stack of parchments.

She bent her pink face low over her work to hide her emotions. It took everything in her not to throw her arms around him. She did not want to move to fast, scare him off. If fifteen years ago he was afraid to be with a student, how much more would he hesitate when she appeared so much younger than he?

"Ms. Parker? I can't help but notice, your hair is two different colors," he asked out of nowhere. Her head snapped up, and her hand flew to the part in her hair.

"Yea, I know, I keep meaning to fix it. I have like, a half an inch of outgrowth now," she said embarrassed. Her hair grew very fast, almost three times the speed of the average person.

"Why do you color it at all?" Severus asked.

"Um, gentlemen prefer blondes?" she joked. "Actually, I just had wanted a change. Its really hard to keep up with though."

"Have you ever thought about red?" He looked away for a moment, took a breath, and looked back at her.

"I had it red for a little while," she told him, inhaling sharply. Was she giving too much away? She wanted to tell him so badly, but was it too soon?

"And you didn't like it?" To both of their shock, he reached out and took hold of one of her blonde locks, twisting it in his fingers, and letting it fall back down. "I'm sorry, that was probably inappropriate," he told her, picking his quill back up. His eyebrows were furred together, as if he was trying to push every emption into the pit of his stomach. Eliza couldn't take it anymore.

"Severus, there is something I need to tell you," she put her hand on his arm. He looked startled at the boldness of her using his first name. "I -," but she was cut off by the sudden jerk of his left arm, and his face contorting into a grimace.

"I have to go," he said gruffly. She nodded, understanding, and now worrying for him. Before she could say anything, he was gone.

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A few hours lapsed, and Eliza found herself knocking on the headmaster's door, hoping he was awake and in his office. She was not disappointed.

"Come in," Albus called.

"Professor, I'm worried. Has Severus returned?"

"Yes, not too long ago."

"Was he hurt?" she bit her lip.

"Not at all. Voldemort only wanted to know if there was any progress," he said untroubled.

"Progress?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Yes, the progress on my upcoming demise," he told her, conjuring up some tea. "Would you like some?"

"Um, no thank you," taken aback by his attitude.

"There was not much to report," he shrugged. "Do you have anything to report?"

"Only that Draco seems to disappear for hours at a time. His scent leads to the door of the room of requirement. I think he is having some type of meetings in there or something. He must have decided going out of doors was too risky," she told him, remembering their detentions.

"Yes, I know, Harry has been trying to tell me this. I keep telling him to focus on his mission, but that boy is very persistent. I wish he would understand that we have our eyes open in various places, and do what I have asked."

"He will learn," she assured him. "At least I will have a chance to spend some time with him at the party."

"Oh good, so Severus did make you his apprentice then," he clasped his hands together. "I was hoping he would."

"He told you his idea then?" she smiled.

"_His_ idea?" he snorted. "My dear, that was _my_ idea."

Eliza laughed. "Did you really think a slytherin would not take the credit?"

"I had no doubts about it," Albus replied, still smiling. "So you agreed."

Elizabeth nodded.

After a quarter of an hour of chatting, Eliza decided it was time to return to her dorm. It was very late, near three a.m. She ran quickly down the corridors, but skidded to a stop when she heard someone harshly whisper "Hey!" Eliza froze. She could easily tell it was Draco's voice. How much could he have seen in the dark? She wasn't running at top speed, but definitely not at a speed that a human could match. She sucked in a breath and turned.

"Hey," he panted, catching up to where she stood. "Damn, your fast. Where were you going?" he asked suspiciously.

"Back to bed, before Snape catches me," she whispered. "I was talking to Dumbledore, you know, dad stuff. What on earth are you doing?"

"Um, just working on something. I feel asleep. We better hurry, before we get caught."

"Seriously."

The two crept silently around the castle. They said their goodbyes in the common room, and Eliza tiptoed into her room. Pansy and Millicent were sleeping, so she quietly pulled back her covers and got into bed.

_I almost told him_. _I could have ruined everything_. But Eliza was not positive. Maybe if he knew everything, he would let the "student/teacher" hesitation drop. But it was also possible that he would not accept her in any case. But she would have to try. _But will I be able to find the courage again? I just need a sign. Please, someone give me a sign._ With that final thought, Elizabeth drifted off to sleep.

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A/N: Okay, stay tuned, because some events are going to be coming up in the next few chapters that you may not want to miss. Thanks for your review!


	13. Chapter 13

"You look nice," Snape noted, taking in her curls and teal dress robes. She did a little spin for him and smiled.

"You look, the same," she scrutinized his everyday billowing robes. "Do you actually own any other clothing?"

"Yes I do," he spat. "But I did not deem this event worthy of my effort. Can we get on with it then?"

"Yea, I've been waiting forever," she teased.

"Yes, ten minutes. What a travesty," Severus rolled his eyes. "Oh, and by the way, Draco will not be attending."

"What? Why not?" she asked surprised.

"Apparently Professor Slughorn did not think he was important enough to warrant an invitation," he told her as he walked by her side. She kept looking at his hand as if she would like to hold it, but he was trying to keep things completely professional.

"Well that's dandy. How am I supposed to spy on him now? I thought for once I could get him out of that stupid room," she complained.

"What room?" he asked, stopping.

"Didn't Dumbledore tell you? He spends all of his time in the room of requirement. I don't know what he is doing in there," she told him seriously.

"Interesting," was all Severus said as he began walking once more.

The two strode in silence. Neither was very much anticipating this night. As they walked, Eliza began to recognize the scent of something very familiar. _It can't be,_ she thought, her excitement growing. _Maybe he will have some information for me!_

The pair entered the room as unobtrusive as possible. They shared a look of dread, and went directly to the punch, just for something to do. It was all a bit much. The ribbons, lights, and faeries were all blinding them.

"This is ridiculous," Eliza heard Severus mutter, and had to agree. Then she spotted him. He was across the room, next to a wizard she recognized as Eldred Worple. The vampire Sanguini, who she knew better as Uncle San, had been a close friend with her father. The poor man just had a pastry shoved into his mouth. His face showed he did not much enjoy it, as most vampires thought sugar repulsive. The only thing a vampire would eat with little complaint was red meat, rare. Anything else tasted like tree bark.

"There is a vampire here," Elizabeth observed to Severus.

"You aren't afraid are you?" Severus asked seriously. "He wont hurt you, I promise."

Elizabeth started choking on her pumpkin juice, laughing so hard at such a remark. The very idea struck her as hilarious. But this was a great way to feel him out.

"I know that. I am most definitely not prejudiced against Vampires. But I know many who are," she told him.

"Well, most people are morons. I can see how someone who is uneducated may be afraid, for they only hear the violent stories. It would be like someone reading about one or two murderers, and deciding every man in the world is a killer," he said irritated.

"Have you met any vampires?" she asked him, dying to know.

"Yes, a few. I was researching a rare ingredient for a special potion, and they assisted me."

"And you got on all right?" She asked. He nodded in the affirmative, losing interest in the conversation. "Were you scared at all?" she nearly whispered. He looked at her strangely.

"Scared of what?" Severus demanded.

"That they would lose control," she replied.

"No."

By this time Sanguini had already listened in to their entire conversation, and seemed very amused. He waved behind Snape's back for her to come over. She whispered as quietly as possible _not yet_, knowing he could hear, but Severus could not. She wanted a few minutes alone with him to talk. Sanguini whispered something into Eldred's ear, who nodded.

"Let's go get this over with," he jerked his head towards Slughorn.

"Ok," she agreed. He took her by the wrist for a fraction of a second before dropping it. She sighed, impatient for the time when they could make the slightest contact without him being paranoid. She was not sure if the day would ever come.

"Why Severus!" Slughorn exclaimed. "What a lovely partner. How are you this evening Ms. Parker?" By now a few people had turned to look, but a glare from Severus caused their eyes to turn away.

"Meet my new apprentice," Severus said a bit more loudly than was necessary. Slughorn looked very surprised, and Eliza could not blame him. The attendants within earshot looked back once more, and promptly began to whisper amongst themselves.

"How wonderful," Slughorn responded a bit forced.

The small group chatted for a very short time before moving off again. By now Severus and Eliza were bored stiff, and were sitting at a table doing nothing but staring off into space. Suddenly Snape shot up, and ran towards the door. In the next moment, Eliza could see a very angry Draco being dragged off by Snape.

"Why hello Miss Elizabeth," came a friendly greeting.

"Sanguini!" she whispered enthusiastically.

"Can we talk somewhere private?" he asked, looking at the doors.

"Please, there is something I really need to discuss with you."

The two cautiously exited the room, and went into an empty corridor.

"I must ask, for I can't take it any longer," she began breathless. "I can only hope, was my father with you at all in these past few weeks?"

The vampire's face fell, and he shook his head. "I'm so sorry my dear, but I know for a fact he was in Londen the night of- well, that night," he said sadly. "I know because I received a letter from him only hours before."

"What did it say," she asked, tears running down her face now that he last hopes were crushed.

"He was afraid something was not quite right. Vampires were turning up dead or missing. There are so few left that it was quite a concern. Ministry officials had been blamed until then."

"I see," was all she could manage.

"I'm so sorry. Steven was such a good friend to me," he said patting her arm. "I will always remember the summer your family came to visit me in Venice. It was a wonderful time."

"It was wasn't it?" she smiled, despite her sadness.

"May I ask, why are you here?"

"As a favor to Dumbledore. He asked me to come once more, and add a little protection."

"Well be careful," he warned. The dark one has spies everywhere. I do not know how they keep finding out our locations, but they do. They want to turn us into some kind of weapon. I am on my constant guard."

"I will, do not worry," she assured him. "I am in this castle, there is no safer place for me," she waved her hand around. He nodded in agreement.

"Well, we will be missed soon. I must say goodbye, little Elizabeth."

She embraced him fiercely, when suddenly there was a loud throat clearing, followed by an, "Are we interrupting something?"

Eliza let go of her friend to turn to Severus. He was holding onto Draco Malfoy, and looked extremely angry.

"No, I was just on my way back in," Sanguini nodded to Eliza. She waved and turned back to Severus.

"Can I go now?" Draco spat. Snape pushed him away from his body and the boy ran off.

"Care to explain?" he said icily. Eliza shifted a bit, not sure what to say.

"There was a reason I was asking about the Vampires earlier," Eliza began. "I know him. He was a close friend of my father's. I just didn't know how you would react to him."

"You father was the good friend of a vampire?" Snape asked in disbelief.

"Yes. We are- were- an interesting family," Eliza told him sincerely. "We were just speaking about my father. He is, well, like an uncle to me."

Snape instantly felt better at hearing the words. For a moment he believed they had had a different type of relationship, and he was not pleased. This realization also made him uncomfortable. He was acting more like a jealous boyfriend than a protective teacher. He decided to change the subject.

"Did you pack for this weekend?" Severus asked.

"What is this weekend?" She asked, clearly not informed of the plans. "And can we skip the rest of this dismal party?" she begged. He smirked and started to lead her toward the slytherin common room, also eager to escape.

"We are going to headquarters, and I need to bring you. We should only be gone a day, but be prepared for any delays."

"In case we stay over or something?"

"Exactly," he stated.

"So what happened with Draco?" she asked, widening her eyes. "What was that all about?"

"He was doing a bit of spy work himself," and he added, "He refuses to tell me anything. He thinks I want to ruin his chances."

"That poor kid is a mess," she shook her head.

He chose not to comment, but stopped at the door. "Dumbledore will send us owls when he wants us to leave. We will meet in his office."

"All right. I will be prepared. Goodnight Professor."

"Goodnight," he replied, laying a hand on her shoulder. She looked down at his hand, and then up into his eyes. Eliza could see a longing there that she only knew too well. But he was too in control of himself. He abruptly turned and walked away.

She could only stare after him as he walked down the corridor. She walked in a trancelike state to her bedroom, and lay awake for hours, thinking. It was a long time before the tingle left her skin from where his hand had touched. She knew she could not handle this much longer.

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A/N: Uh oh, Snape is getting touchy........ hehe. Thanks for your reviews!


	14. Chapter 14

"Ok, that was awesome," Eliza exclaimed as number twelve Grimmauld place appeared before her. "I've heard how cool it is, but I have never seen it first hand," she smiled at Snape.

"Your inexperience knows no bounds," he rolled his eyes, pushing her gently towards the house.

"That's what you think," she giggled.

The door creaked as they slowly entered the home. The outside of the house looked completely deserted, but inside were lively sounds coming from many parts of the dwelling. Wizards were arguing over strategies, people were bustling to and from the kitchen, and many redheaded children were running up the stairs. Somewhere nearby a woman seemed to be screaming obscenities.

"Pay no attention," Snape told her as they passed the ear-piercing noises coming from the portrait of Mrs. Black.

"No wonder you don't like coming here," Eliza sympathized. "There is certainly no peace and quiet."

"Indeed," he agreed.

Suddenly Mrs. Weasley came out of the kitchen. "Severus," she called, drying her hands on a towel. "Alastor and Kingsly are waiting for you in the drawing room, they need to speak to you urgently."

"What do they want?" Severys sounded irritated.

"I don't know, I didn't press them," Molly retorted shortly. Then she turned to Eliza. "You must be Elizabeth," she said disapprovingly. "The others are upstairs. You can wait with them if you like. _They_ are not allowed into the meetings," she huffed. "As children should not be."

"Then I suppose it is a good thing I am of age," Eliza challenged. "And can make my own decisions."

_Honestly,_ Elizabeth thought to herself. _I am older than _you_. Will you relax?_ But it was no use.

"Well I just hope you don't find out how dangerous the order can be the hard way," she told her, wandering off. The next moment Eliza heard her bellow," Fred, George, stop that at once!"

"Wow, overprotective much?" Eliza raised her eyebrow at Severus.

"You have no idea," he shook his head. "Are you going to go up and make small talk with the gryffindors?"

"No, I think I'll check out the library," she nodded her head towards the back hall. "Amuse myself for a while."

"Alright, I will go get this over with, and meet you there."

"Okay," she smiled. She watched him automatically square his shoulder, tilt his chin up, and walk regally to the drawing room. She couldn't help but be entertained by his extra effort at showing others how he felt he was better than they.

A great crash came from behind her, and she heard a very familiar muttering. From under the pile of umbrella's, an "Oi, were did these come from," could be heard. Eliza barely contained her excitement. She rushed over to the jumbled mess that was her friend.

"Tonks!" Eliza hissed in a whisper. Nymphadora looked up, and squealed in delight. Eliza quickly put a finger to her lips. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Watcher, Liz! It's been ages. I could ask you the same thing," she smiled as Eliza helped her up. "I thought you would be off to Asia or something, staying out of the radar. You look exactly the same! Well except for the yellow hair."

"Well I am still undercover. No one mentioned you were in the order! I would have written to you and warned you I was coming. It would have been nice to have someone to talk to," she whispered. "And of course I do, what did you expect? But you never look the same twice," Eliza smiled.

"Dumbledore got you as guard dog again then, eh?" she snickered.

"Yes, but I don't mind. I'm trying to rekindle an old affair," she said with a smirk.

"Ugh, I don't know what you see in him," Tonks gagged. "You know, half the order thinks he is still with you-know-who," she warned.

"But I know better," Eliza shrugged it off. "He still doesn't know its me, though he has his suspicions. This time I am playing for keeps though," she leaned against the wall.

"So he doesn't know about you then? How do you plan on telling him?" Tonks asked wide-eyed

"I have no idea. He will probably freak out, I imagine, and run away," she tried to sound playful, but it came out kind of sad."

"I'm sure it will be fine. I've got my eye on someone too, but he isn't biting," She laughed.

"That is not even funny," Eliza rolled her eyes. It took a moment for it to register in Tonks' mind.

"Ha, that isn't even what I meant. But actually, you are not that far off," she smirked.

"How is your family?" Eliza asked, wishing to hear a long awaited update.

Eliza had met Ted in one of her many junior years in college. They had been in the same class, and had gotten to know each other. He had confided in her that he believed there was something strange about his girlfriend, Andromeda. Eliza helped him cope with the discovery of the wizarding world, and the three of them had become fairly close. They were probably the closest friends Eliza had ever allowed herself.

It was five years before Elizabeth had the courage to reveal herself. The young family had shown no prejudice, though they were surprised, and their friendship only strengthened. By that time, Nymphadora was a toddler, and a handful. Andromeda had relied heavily on Eliza's abilities to help her, and she had been a regular babysitter for the young witch.

When Tonks was old enough to understand, Andromeda and Ted carefully explained what Elizabeth was, and why it was important it remained a secret. The young metamorphmagus had looked up to Eliza as a child, and had even been in her second year when the older woman had returned the first time to Hogwarts. They had been each other's confidants, but had drifted when Nymphadora started her auror training, and Eliza had run away from the continent. They knew what it was like to be different.

"Alright, yours?" Tonks inquired.

"Oh," Eliza said sadly. "Well actually, there is a bit of bad news. My parents died."

"Oh Lizzy! I'm so sorry, what happened?" Nymphadora asked astonished.

"Well my mom died last year. I was expecing it. But my dad, well he was murdered."

"Oh, I did hear about the death eater attacks. I thought about you guys, but you are so often away from here, I really didn't think to worry. I'm so sorry," she put a hand on Eliza's shoulder.

"Right now I can hardly believe it," Eliza confessed. "I just want revenge."

"Its understandable," Tonks sympathized.

"Tonks, is that you?" The girls heard Mrs. Weasley cry from the kitchen.

"Remember, you don't know me," Eliza reminded her friend, who nodded and went towards the kitchen.

Eliza did not know what could be better. She was at headquarters with Severus, and now her friend was back in her life, just as she had been feeling completely alone. It should have occurred to her sooner to contact Tonks. She would have felt much better, much sooner if she had.

As Eliza made her way to the library, she started getting a strange feeling. The hairs on her arms began to stand up, and her sense of smell was picking up something she did not like. She pushed open the library door and examined the room. There was a man standing in front of a bookshelf, his back turned to her, at the far end of the room. Eliza cautiously made her way toward him, knowing something was not right.

She had just crossed the room halfway, and was in front of the desk when he turned around. He looked startled at her appearance, and dropped the book he was holding. He bent to pick it up, but tensed halfway. In that moment the scent hit them both.

He jumped back, growling, "What do you want?"

Eliza was in a sudden fury. She let out a ferocious hiss, and jumped into an attack crouch on top of the desk. He put his arms out in a defensive position. Eliza hissed again, but quieter. He was not attacking, but she was taking no chances.

Just then, a frightened Crookshanks shot out from under the desk, and out of the door that had been left ajar. A moment later, Tonks came rushing into the room, and shut the door tightly behind her.

"Oi! Knock it off you two!" she snapped. "I could hear you from the kitchen, Liz."

"What is that doing here?" Eliza snarled.

"_He_ is Remus Lupin," Tonks told her sternly. "And he isn't like the others."

"What is going on?" Lupin demanded, still in a defensive pose. "Who is she, and why is she here?"

"You need to trust me, Remus," Tonks begged. "Its a long story, and a complete secret."

"Well I would like to be let in on the secret," he said angrily.

"Tonks," Eliza hissed. "What is a werewolf doing here? Do you have any idea how much pleasure they have in killing my kind?"

"Please, both of you, relax," Tonks urged. "Someone could come in here at any second. Severus was in the kitchen when I heard you, and saw the cat run out of here like there was a fire.

"Answer me!" the enemies yelled in unison.

"Fine," Tonks snapped. "Liz," she turned to her friend, "Lupin was bit when he was young, and takes steps to control his condition. He is completely on our side, and not only spying on the others of his kind, but also trying to get them to fight for our side."

"How, dandy, more animals running around here," Eliza sneered.

"Stop it," Tonks snapped. "Remember how I told you he _doesn't bite_," Nymphadora hinted to her friend.

"You have _got_ to be joking me," Eliza scoffed.

"Hey, you are my friend, and you are half vampire," Tonks reminded her.

"Only half?" Lupin asked. "That makes more sense," he straightened up, but Eliza did not move off of the desk.

"Remus, you have to keep this a secret," Tonks pleaded. No one but Dumbledore and I know the truth about her. She is here for Hogwart's protection."

"Well actually, Minerva knows too," Eliza offered.

"Ok fine, and Minerva," Tonks rolled her eyes. "She is a friend of mine."

"Well your friend was just about to attack me," Lupin spat.

"We have learned not to take chances with you beasts," Eliza snarled. "We have lost too many to your kind and their power lust."

"I am not like _my kind_," Lupin told her darkly. "How much are you like yours?" he challenged.

"Look, Lizzy is half witch too," Tonks told him. "No one is going to hurt anyone. We are all on the same side. Can we please call a truce?" she begged.

"I will keep your secret," Lupin told her, trying to be reasonable.

"And I won't rip your head off," Eliza smirked. Lupin eyes narrowed, but said nothing.

"Ok, good, we can all get on with it now," Tonks tried to sound cheerful.

"Get on with what?" Came a voice from the doorway. "Ms. Parker, why are you on the desk?" Snape asked curiously.

"There was a cat in here," Eliza thought fast. "Hissed at me. Scared me half to death."

"Well please get down," he said irritated. "That's Granger's cat, it won't hurt you."

"Right," Eliza jumped off. "I was getting acquainted, totally forgot where I was."

"I see you met Tonks and Remus Lupin," Snape nodded towards them. They returned the curt nod.

"Yes," She told him, without indicating weather or not she was pleased.

"Well I am going to find Albus, and remind him that our time is precious and I would like to begin the meeting as soon as possible."

"I'll catch up with you in a moment," she told him. He raised an eyebrow, but left the room wordlessly.

"So you are with Severus," Lupin mused. "It all makes so much sense now."

"Remus, really," Tonks shook her head. "You shouldn't instigate."

"Tonks, are you sure this guy is okay?" Eliza asked her friend.

"Absolutely," she assured her. "Do you really think Dumbledore would make such a mistake?"

"Look, I really don't care if you like me or not," Remus told Eliza. "But I am not wasting my time arguing with you." He walked out of the room.

"Please try to get along with him," Tonks begged. "I really like him."

"You love him," Eliza told her. "And because of that I will try. But it will definitely take some getting used to. You don't understand, vampires kill a werewolf on sight. The only thing that made me pause was losing my cover."

"He is a great guy. You just don't know him yet."

"Um, I hope you are right for your own sake, but I really believe he and I should spend as little time together as possible, just so it doesn't get ugly."

"Well, in any case, he won't tell anyone about you, you can trust him," Tonks reminded her.

"That's all I need to know."

The girls walked out of the library and made their way to the large area where the meeting was being held. Eliza was listening intently, but it seemed as thought nothing was really being said. People's reports mainly consisted of there being "nothing to report". Eliza had nothing to add, and little that was said gave her any information she needed. She was getting frustrated. Even Severus had very little to add, for she and Albus were usually the first ones to hear any news.

The meeting broke up about an hour and fifteen minutes after it begun. Eliza was restless to get out of the stuffy room. As she got out of her chair, she felt something smack into her.

"Ouch! Oi, Liz, you still are hard as a rock," Tonks whispered. "I think I broke something."

"Gee, you're hilarious," Eliza rolled her eyes, smiling. "I'll owl you later, okay? It was great seeing you. Sorry about almost killing your boyfriend,"

"He isn't my boyfriend," Tonks said, irritated. "But sure, I look forward to your owl. You need to tell me everything I have missed."

"Are you ready to go?" Severus cut into their conversation. "Or am I interrupting your gossip session?"

"See you later," Eliza rolled her eyes to Tonks, who tried not to giggle.

"Severus, are you staying for lunch?" Molly called to him.

"No," He told her, walking towards the cloak rack. He grabbed Eliza's cloak and handed it to her. She quickly put it on and they walked out.

"Aren't you hungry?" Eliza asked him?

"Yes," he replied, still walking.

"Um, then why didn't we stay and eat?" she asked confused.

"Because I am taking you out," he replied, grabbing her hand, and apperating them away.

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A/N: wow, sorry for the delay in posting. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Drop me a review and tell me what you think. I'll try to update much quicker next time :)


	15. Chapter 15

"How is your lamb?" Severus asked before taking another bite of his chicken kiev.

"Delicious," she assured him. "Yours?"

"Quite satisfactory, thank you." Severus seemed very nervous. They had been sitting from almost twenty minutes without conversing very much.

"I like this place, its quiet and comfortable," she observed, glancing around.

"Muggle pubs usually are. People don't know me here, and I prefer it that way," he said drily.

"Well I never took you as the social butterfly, trust me," she laughed, sipping a glass of wine.

"To be sure," he agreed.

"Well what about me?" she smirked. "Do you think I am social?"

Severus considered a moment. "I think when you choose to be. I see many different sides of you."

"Such as?" she clasped her hands and rested her chin on them, leaning closer to him.

"You know how to capture someone attention, yet you shut many people out," he replied, looking away from her.

"Ha, it sounds like you are saying I am manipulative and keep people at a distance," she teased.

"That is now what I mean and you know it," he retorted. "You can fit in easily with people by knowing what to say to hold their interest, yet you don't have intimate relationships."

"You don't either," she pointed out.

"That's true, but I also do not blend in easily with others. Nor do I wish too," Severus told her, picking at his food.

"Why is that?'

"People let you down," he said simply. "I find it more practical to rely on oneself."

"That may be true, but you need _someone_ to confide in," Eliza urged. "Life can be so empty without anyone who understands you."

"That did not work out well for me," he said quietly.

"Oh," Eliza felt extremely guilty. "Well I see why you might feel that way."

"But you are young, I'm surprised you aren't out there socializing," Severus tried to change the tone of the conversation.

"I talk to you," she smiled.

"Yes, and old man, _that_ will certainly raise your status," he smirked.

"First off, don't _old man_ me. There is a reason I am not dating any boys in this school," she told him bravely.

"Excuse me?" he choked a bit on his chicken.

"I won't date anyone a day under thirty," she told him matter-of-factly.

"_Thirty_," Severus astonished. "Isn't that a bit _too_ mature for you?"

"Um, no," Eliza affirmed. "But we really should not continue this conversation because it will probably become extremely awkward."

"No, I am interested now," Severus told her, leaning in. "Please go on."

"I bet you are," she teased. "As long as we are speaking of _extremely_ personal subjects, why aren't _you_ dating anyone?"

"Oh, I gave that up long ago," he said dismissively. "You already know that story. Now tell me yours."

"What do you want to know?" Eliza asked, her heart fluttering.

"Why do you want someone so much older?" he replied.

"I just happen to be interested in an older man," Eliza's heart was slamming in her chest. "And now I know I could never go back to boring teenage boys."

"Who?" Severus had completely forgotten about his lunch. He had not seriously entertained the idea of the possibility that she could have feelings for him, but now that such a possibility had been presented, he held his breath to hear her answer.

"Does it matter?" She shrugged. "Can't have him anyway."

"Why not?" his voice was almost shaking.

"He is in love with someone else," she sighed.

"Oh." Severus had not expected that answer. He was waiting for her to say, _he is my teacher,_ or _its_ forbidden, or something along those lines. Now he was not sure what to think.

The server came to refill their drinks, and bring the check. The young man glanced back and from Severus to Eliza, and had a bit of a smile on his face. It was not hard to determine he thought the pair amusing, and somewhat scandalous. When he left, Severus shook his head.

"You see, that is what you would have to deal with constantly if you married someone older," he pointed out to her. "Would that not become tiresome very quickly?"

"Nope. I don't go out much," she half-joked. "But I can see it bothers you. Do you want to go?"

"You still have half a plate of food left," he observed.

"I know, I was being polite. I would rather stay," she smiled, and took another bite of lamb. He rolled his eyes, and picked up his fork.

"Do you not care what people think?" he asked her.

"About whom I chose to date?" Not at all, she smiled. "Its none of their business. I'm a big girl now, Legal and everything."

"I wouldn't say that too loud," he cautioned. "People will think you are trying to seduce me," he gently teased.

"How slytherin of me," she snorted. "Has that ever happened in this school?"

"You mean a scandal over a teacher and a student?" Severus knitted his eyebrows together.

"Uh huh."

"Not since I have been there. It had happened once or twice that after graduation a match was announced, but not really any scandals."

"So people have to earn their grades around here," she joked.

"Even the slytherins," he smirked.

"It a good things I am such a bright and upcoming student then," Elizabeth tried to keep a straight face.

"You are hysterical, you know that right," he raised his eyebrow at her.

"I try," she smiled.

"So is running away from the wizarding world really you plan?" Severus seemed to ask out of nowhere.

"I don't know what my plans are anymore," she told him honestly. "Things are changing, I have no idea what direction I am supposed to be going. I will just take things one day at a time."

"There really isn't anything else you can do. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?" he said darkly.

"I can almost guarantee you will call someone an idiot," she chuckled.

"I can help it so many of them are running about," he snorted.

He got up to pay their bill, and Eliza sat at the table in wonder. She had aready made a decision to try and move things forward, but she wasn't sure how. The conversation had been a test to see him reaction, but he really had not given her any clues as to whether or not he understood what she was getting at. If he had, he was still acting oblivious, and she did not know if any advances would be welcome. She would have to keep pushing him slowly.

"Ready?" Severus appeared next to her.

"Yea," Eliza stood. "Where to now?"

"The castle?" he questioned.

"Sounds good."

Severus apperated them back to the gates, and let them in. They walked silently into the quiet castle. Most people had gone home for the holiday, and the hallways were deserted. Without needing an invitation, Eliza accompanied him down to his office.

"I have a few essays to grade," Severus told her, making his way over to his desk.

"I'm taking a book," she pointed to the bookshelf, he nodded.

For the next few hours they sat quietly at their tasks. Snape could not help but to glance at her every few minutes. He could tell he was starting to have feelings for her. They were not as strong as what he had felt for Beth, for he had vowed to never love another, but they were there.

"Stop staring," she called with her back turned from him.

"I was not even looking at you," he grunted irritably.

"Then why did your quill stop moving?" she teased, still not looking at him.

"Because I am reading!" Severus claimed.

"Yea, yea, whatever you say," she finally turned and gave him a brilliant smile. "But I know you would rather be over here playing chess with me than grading those boring essays."

"I have _work_ to do," Severus tried to be firm.

"Okay, do your work," she said in a bored tone.

"You are so spoiled," he said in an exasperated tone, getting up from his seat to join her.

"I know," she said cheekily. "And I believe it's your move."

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A/N: I know, not my longest chapter, just a peek into their relationship. Thanks for your reviews. Look for an update soon.


	16. Chapter 16

"You know what I realized today?" Eliza asked Severus, jumping onto the sofa cushion next to him.

"That you are a frog?" he mused, looking up from his copy of T_he Daily Profit_. The date read April sixth.

"_No_," she laughed

"Then could you stop behaving like one?" he went back to his paper.

Eliza rolled her eyes and said dramatically, letting herself fall onto the armrest. In the past few months that had become very comfortable in each other's presence. After their less than appropriate lunch date, it was as if the floodgates had been let open. The witty banter had increased ten-fold, and the pair had become less anxious by physical proximity. It was like they were back in the old days; Severus just didn't realize it.

Eliza was cautiously happy in their arrangement. Though she longed to be open and honest about herself, it seemed she was slowly winning him over without having to bring up their painful past. She knew she could not lie forever, but she was not ready to give up the pleasure she was gaining from being with him.

For the first few months Eliza and Snape worried about gossip. They were always very careful to not show too much familiarity in public. She went for her "training sessions" twice a week, but sometimes they snuck in another day or two, careful to avoid the public eye.

Eliza made sure she made time to spend with the slytherins. It was important to keep the impressions that everything was normal, and she had a responsibility to keep her eyes and ears open. The only problem was, nothing was surfacing. Other than spending ungodly amounts of hours in the room of requirement, Eliza knew no more of what Draco was up to. Even the Potter boy had figured out that much on his own.

"So are you going to tell me?" Severus asked her through his reading material.

"No."

"Don't be a prat, tell me," irritation growing.

"Full moon tonight!" She said excitedly.

"Ms. Parker, when I said we will have to look when the moon is full, I did not necessarily mean _the first_ full moon we encounter," he chuckled.

"Ok, _Professor Snape_," she rolled her eyes. "Severus, you promised."

"I think I still have plenty in my stores," he reasoned.

"I'll go check," she bounded off the couch and skipped gracefully to the storeroom. A few minutes later she came back out with a jar nearly empty.

"See, you need more," she smiled.

"Merlin!" he gasped. "Eliza, please tell me you are hiding the rest to get me to go," he snapped.

"No," she said confused. "Why?"

"Because I have not used any in a month, and that jar was nearly full," he replied astonished. "Some little demon is stealing my stores!" Severus was red in the face.

"Didn't you say fluxweed is used in polyjuice potion?' Eliza questioned.

"Yes, it is."

"Well then I know which demon is taking it. I overheard Draco months ago saying he needed Crabbe and Goyle to take some. He must have taken it from you."

"Why that little-" Snape muttered.

"So let's go!" Eliza said enthusiastically.

"We can't go _now_," Snape told her firmly. "I would have to take you across an ocean. It grows in eastern America."

"Well you didn't mention _that_," Eliza said frustrated.

"Well had you been paying attention in class, you would have known that," he challenged.

"When did was discuss that?" she asked confused.

"In fifth year," but then he trailed off. "Oh, never mind."

"Yea, that's what I thought," she teased. "But seriously, why can't we go? Its not like we have classes tomorrow," Eliza told him logically.

"We are just going to take a spontaneous trip to the United States?" he raised his eyebrow. "I think not."

By the time he had finished his sentence, Eliza already had popped her head into the fire.

"Headmaster, are you there?" she bellowed into the flames.

"Eliza! What do you think you are doing?" Severus asked outraged.

"Severus?" Albus called from the fireplace. "You two can come to my office you know."

"This was faster," Eliza waved her hand. "We are almost out of fluxweed. We need to leave for the U.S. tonight. We will be back tomorrow. Does that sound okay?"

Severus' mouth hung open in complete shock. "Professor, I already told her not tonight," he said adamantly.

"Do you need fluxweed Professor Snape?" Albus asked, disregarding his statement.

"Not right this second!" Severus was extremely annoyed by this point.

"Well, it's always good to have enough on hand. Why don't you go now, since its convenient," Albus dismissed Snape's irritation. Eliza beamed at Severus, who could no longer argue his point.

"I don't feel that it is convenient," he muttered.

"I'll set up a portkey. Come to my office and get it," Albus popped back out of the flames.

"I can not believe you went against me like that!" Severus snapped, walking from the sofa to his desk, throwing the paper aside.

Eliza felt a little guilty. She had fantasized so much about spending time alone with him _away_ from school that she could not pass up the opportunity. But if he was going to be angry the whole time, it really was not going to be worth it.

"We can go another time then," Eliza said quietly.

"Oh no you don't," he told her sternly. "You already set this up, so we are going. You are just going to have to suffer my displeasure."

Eliza didn't respond, but walked over to where he had been sitting moments earlier, and curled up on the couch.

"Well?" he demanded.

"I don't know what you want me to say. If you don't want me to go with you, then I don't have to go," she said sadly.

"I didn't say I didn't want you to go," Severus retorted. "I just was not planning on traipsing off to another country tonight."

"I will go tell Dumbledore I was wrong, and we can go next month," she offered, hoping to calm him down.

"Stop it," he commanded.

"What?" she bit her lip.

"That! Stop making me feel guilty," he crossed his arms over his chest.

"As if _anyone_ could make you feel guilty," she said sourly. "I just feel bad now."

"Well you should," he said with less venom. "So go pack."

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Two hours later, the pair were sitting on soft tufts of grass in a Pennsylvanian field. The April air was chilly, but they wore light cloaks to block out the night air. Severus was showing her the proper way to handle fluxweed, and she was trying to pay attention to his instructions.

"Fill up this jar over here, and I am going to work over there," he pointed a little farther north.

"All right," Eliza told him, setting to work. When he was about a quarter of a mile away, she quickly filled the jar, taking less than a quarter of an hour. She rarely used her speed, strength, or senses around Severus because she was too afraid of being caught. But tonight she wanted to be able to watch him, and soak in their surroundings.

The full moon cast a glow over the field, and the sight was breathtaking. White, pink, and purple flowers were just starting to spread throughout the grassy hills. They danced in the breeze, and their aroma was heavenly. She felt unreal, and wished she was closer to Severus.

It took the object of her attention over an hour to collect his specimens. He walked backed towards her, cloak billowing in the wind. She had never needed to fight off her urges so hard before. She could only stare as he came towards he and sat beside her.

"Well done," he nodded towards her container.

"Thanks," she breathed.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She shook her head. He gave her a strange look. "Why not?"

"Look how pretty it is," Eliza said dreamily.

"Yes, very nice," he said dismissively.

Eliza smiled. This man would never be a romantic. _Oh well._ She preferred a practical man anyway.

They checked into a small motel. Severus paid for the two separate rooms, and called softly to her to have a good night. For many hours she lay awake, wishing they were capable of being more. She would love nothing more than to be spending the night with him, instead of being alone in a strange bed. Suddenly she was hit with a strange jolt of worry for him. She knew she would not be able to sleep unless she checked on him.

Severus had given her a spare key to his room in case there was an emergency. She slid the key into the lock and tiptoed into his room. The silence was maddening. No sounds of breathing, or heartbeats filled her ears. She dashed over to the bed, and found it empty. The bathroom for was open, and the light shut off. Severus was nowhere to be found!

Eliza dashed back outside and inhaled deeply. Nothing was noticeably different. It seemed he had disapperated from the room. But where could he have gone. For the next hour Eliza paced back and fourth.

Worry had begun to exhaust her, so she laid down on his bed to wait for his return. She had just started drifting off to sleep when she heard the pop, and a moan. She sat up like lightening, and Snape jumped back, wand out at the ready.

"What are you _doing?_" he asked her in shock.

"What's wrong? You are bleeding1" she said frightened.

"I was summoned. I had to go," he was holding his arm near his wrist. He had a large cut on his forehead as well. Eliza jumped up to help him onto the bed. She had never seen him come back hurt before. She quickly ran to the bathroom and wet a towel.

"What can I do?" she asked when she returned to him, tenderly wiping the blood away from his forehead. She looked down to see him staring hard into her eyes.

"Its not bad," he assured her, never looking away. Her concern for him was causing Severus to momentarily forget about his pain. In a blinding flash he was fully prepared to lean in and claim her lips. A shooting pain in his wrist brought him back to reality.

"I'm alarmed though," he finally looked away. "He was asking me questions about you."

Eliza froze. "Like what?" she asked timidly.

"Just who you were and my connection with you. But I wonder why he would want to know?" he shook his head to clear his mind. "He was not pleased tonight."

"I can tell," she went back to cleaning his face. "What was he so angry about?"

"I can't really tell you," he whispered. "It is between Professor Dumbledore and myself."

Eliza knew what he was referring too, but decided not to comment on it.

"And he was angry at you?"

"Well, mostly at a young death eater, but I stepped in to try and take some of the blame, so therefore suffered some of his wrath."

"I'm not an idiot, I know you mean Malfoy," she rolled her eyes. "But I'm sorry you had to endure pain to save that little rat."

"He is my godson," Severus said, as if that explained everything.

"Look, you don't need to justify your actions with me, I just don't like the kid."

"Clearly," he tried to smile, but it came out a grimace from the pain. "But I wonder why he would want to know about you."

"Probably because it is no secret amongst the slytherins that I spend a lot of time with you. He probably want to convert me or something," she tried to reason. That seemed legitimate.

"Well I don't like it," he said darkly. "I'm going to be extra cautious."

"Ok Mad-eye," she teased gently, setting the towel aside. "Speaking of cautious, I think we need to get you to Madame Pomfrey. Do you think you can handle going by port-key?" she asked. Severus nodded.

Within twenty minutes Eliza packed their belongings and checked them out of the motel. When they reached the gates to the school, the sun was already beginning to rise. He let them in, but warned her before they went any further.

"You go in the front doors. I am going to take the west entrance. It will look very suspicious if anyone were to see us enter the castle together at this time."

"You have a broken wrist, and who knows what other injuries, and you are more worried about gossip," Eliza snorted, "Ok paranoid, I'll check on you later."

They went their separate ways, and Eliza entered her room, expecting her roommates to be asleep, but Pansy was just returning from the bathroom. She let out a yelp at the sight of Eliza, covered in blood.

"What happened to _you_," she whispered. Eliza thought fast.

"Training went poorly. I just got back from the hospital wing," Eliza laughed nervously.

"I don't know if you are the bravest person I know for choosing to work with Snape, or the stupidest," she shook her head.

"Probably both," Eliza smiled.

"Well, I'm going back to bed."

"Me too," Eliza agreed. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow. She dreamt of Severus, and the way he had looked at her that night. She dared to hope that it might mean something. She couldn't take living on the fence too much longer, and she still had another year before graduation. Something would have to be done soon.

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A/N: I can't wait to write these next few chapters. It may take a little longer to post because I have been waiting to write them forever! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for your reviews!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I wish I owned Snape, but I don't own him either. JKR gets all the luck.

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"He finally retrieved the memory," Albus told Eliza as they sipped on strong cups of tea.

"When was this?" Eliza asked, surprised. Severus, who had been walking about the room, came back over to towards the sofa and sat next to Eliza.

"A few nights ago," he responded.

"Is it as we feared?" Severus asked, dreading his answer.

"Indeed, the very worst," Dumbledore said sadly.

"So what do we do now?" Eliza questioned.

"I'll be taking Harry on a special mission with me. I need to train him as best as I can."

"You talk as thought it is already over," Severus narrowed his eyes.

"Severus, not now. Let us celebrate this tiny victory. There is still so much to do," Albus sounded exhausted

"I have a question," Eliza ventured. "Does a cupboard mean anything to either of you? I overheard Draco talking about one the other day."

"This is news?" Snape asked in disbelief. "You really are having a hard time with this spying thing, aren't you?"

"I didn't say it was _significant_," Eliza sneered. "He was just very excited about it. I have not seen him like that in, well, ever."

"Well I am sure it will make a wonderful place to put his socks," Snape mocked, but playfully tugged her hair.

"Are you two quite finished?" Albus cut in. "I swear, its a good thing I am the only one who has to listen to the two of you together, because the gossips would be having a field day right now."

Eliza and Snape sobered at once. "Well, anyway, Severus is right, I have absolutely nothing to report."

The conversation broke up a few minutes later, and Severus led Elizabeth down to his office. He shut the door and put a silencing charm around the room.

"I was with the death eaters last night," he told her seriously. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Professor Dumbledore, but I need to ask you something."

"You are kind of creeping me out, but go ahead," she encouraged.

"How do you know Bellatrix Lestrange?" he said in a worried voice.

"Why?"

"She was saying strange things to the dark lord last night, I did not catch everything, but what I heard I could not believe," he shook his head.

Eliza's mouth went dry. She tried to swallow but found it too difficult. "What did you hear?"

"She told him you where the friend of her "bitch, blood traitor" sister. She also said you helped put her into prison. How are these things possible? You would have been a mere child."

"Is that all she said?" Eliza held her breath.

"That's all I heard. When they saw me they stopped talking," he was looking at her strangenly now.

"Severus, clearly she is mistaken. I would have been what, two or something? She must be getting me confused with someone else. _You_ have done that too, remember?" She reminded him, grasping at straws.

"Well that is certainly true. However, she believes this, and therefore, you could be in danger," he rationalized.

Eliza sat stiffly on the couch. It had been true, all of it. Eliza had been part of the group that had captured a few of the most notorious death eaters. Bellatrix would have made sure to burn the faces of her capturers into her memory.

Eliza knew Lestrange had escaped from prison, but had never seriously entertained a concern. That must have been why Draco was supposed to keep an eye on her. Caution was an understatement; Eliza would need to be on her highest guard for a while.

"You look very worried," Severus sat next to her.

"You just told me an insane death eater may have it out for me, what should I be?" she asked in disbelief.

"You believe I won't protect you?" he sounded hurt.

"Severus, if it came down to it, you would have to kill me yourself if he asked you to."

"I wouldn't" he assured her.

"Yes, you would. No one person's life is worth losing your role. You and I both know that."

Severys sighed. "It won't come to that."

"At this point, I have no idea what could or could not happen."

"I'll keep you safe," he promised.

"I don't want to talk about his anymore," she said irritably.

"Then what do you want to do?"

"What is there to do?" she flopped back on the sofa, feeling very frustrated.

"I have to work on a few potions," he observed.

"Ok, we will go work on your potions," she agreed, a hint of a smile on her face.

"I don't think Remus will appreciate it if I let you help," he smirked. "He sort of needs this one not to explode.

"Oh, _that_ potion," she wrinkled her nose.

"You don't like him, do you?" Severus chuckled.

"I'm not a big fan of dogs," she remarked. Snape's eyes widened in his shock that she would be so insulting.

"You know, we were never best mates, but at least he takes precautions," Severus argued.

"Well I wish they all would. He seems an okay guy, I'll give him that. But most of his kind should be put down," she spat.

"Let me get this straight, you are friends with vampires, but don't like werewolves," he said amused. "Actually, that would kind of make sense. I don't supposed if you were friends with both that you could invite them all to dinner party, could you," he said amused at his own joke.

"Hardly," she rolled her eyes. "So can we go work on this potion?"

"You mean, can you _watch me_ work on this potion," he corrected, still smirking.

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"Tell me, do you know a Roonil Wazlib?" Snape stormed into the room. Eliza had been sitting at his desk, studying her transfiguration notes, but his angry footsteps could be heard long before his outburst.

They had started referring to the room as "the office" instead of "his office" for they spent so much time down there together. He was starting to feel as though she was more his equal than his student. He often sought her advice, or offered his own when Eliza had a problem. He had also developed the habit of filling her in on every detail of when he was frustrated by another student.

"No, I can't say that I do," she responded amused. "Do you mean Ron Weasley?"

"Well I am sure that is exactly who I am referring too, but that Potter brat is trying to get away with something," Severus replied in an agitated voice, crossing his arms over his chest.

"When _don't_ you think that?" she laughed.

"Well this time I know for a fact," Severus spat. "He just tried to kill Draco."

"How?" her mouth fell open.

"Using one of _my_ spells!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, so its your fault then," she teased. But he was in no mood.

"I think he has my old book. When I asked him for his Potions book, he gave me a copy with the name _Roonil._" He emphasized the ridiculousness. "Then he had the nerve to tell me it was a _nickname_!"

Eliza was in hysterics by now. "What did you do?"

"I gave him detention, what else could I do. But at least he is getting a real punishment. He can't play in his precious quidditch match," he smirked, amused with himself.

"Severus, that was mean," she laughed.

"HE TRIED TO KILL SOMEONE!" he emphasized again. "He's lucky I didn't have him expelled!"

"But you said it was one of your spells. Did he even know what it does before her cast it?" she reasoned.

"No, probably not. But there was quite a lot of blood, it was one of my slicing spells" he told her, trying to make the situation sound as dire as possible. Eliza was glad she had not been there. The blood would not have bothered her, because Draco's blood seemed about as appetizing as a fiber cracker, but she could not imagine how horrible it would have been to witness.

"So that means no "training" for me then," she made her fingers into quotation marks.

"No, I have special plans," he told her evily.

"You get way to much enjoyment out of being vindictive," she rolled her eyes. "Oh, and by the way, Pansy thinks I'm sleeping with you," she added nonchalantly.

"Excuse me?" Severus was taken aback.

"Yea, I heard her talking to Millicent. She says I am way too happy about all the time I am _forced_ to spend with you. Thinks your riding me on the desk."

"What did you tell her?" he asked, shocked.

"Nothing, She didn't know I could hear her. Millicent doesn't agree though. She thinks I like Blaise, which is weird, because I rarely even talk to him."

"I knew rumors would start," Snape paced around the room. "What now?"

"Um, nothing," she shrugged. "Its teenage gossip. No one really believes it. I just thought it was funny. I didn't think you would take it all seriously."

"But what about your reputation?" he challenged.

"Yea, I give a shit," she snorted. "Honestly."

He sat quietly for a moment. "Why Blaise?" he questioned at least. Eliza could not help hooting in laughter.

"What, are you jealous?" she snorted.

"No," he answered very quickly. Too quickly, and they both knew it.

"You don't have to be," she smiled. "No little boy is going to take your place," she assured him.

"What happened to the other guy?" he teased.

"There never was another guy," she said quietly. Understanding suddenly dawned on Severus' face.

"Oh, I see," he said somewhat numbly.

"Don't even try to go all crazy and noble on me," she sighed. "I know how you feel about students dating teachers. Just forget it, okay?"

Before she knew what was happening he was kissing her. She carefully pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. By the end they were both shocked at themselves, struggling for breath.

"That definitely should not have happened," he panted. "I could lose my job. You would be expelled."

"Knowing you, it won't ever happen again," she said sadly, believing it was probably true. "But you won't lose your job, Dumbledore needs you far too much."

"Still," was all he could think to say.

"Do you want to just pretend like that didn't happen?" she offered, knowing it was her best bet to keep him from distancing himself.

"Yes," he replied, somewhat unsure.

"Ok, done. So what do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

But the two could not forget what had happened. That afternoon, one or the other could be found staring off into space, remembering what Severus had wanted them to forget. Eliza was not dissuaded from pursing a relationship with this man. If anything his actions had strengthened her resolve.

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For the next few weeks she tried to maintain a certain level of normalcy, while introducing new ways to be intimate. One night she had him read to her again, and let her hand rest on his arm the entire length of the chapter. A week later, she actually took his hand and held it for several minutes. She knew the best way was to go slow, and make it seem natural, and she was succeeding. Everyday he was falling a little bit farther for her.

It was a warm June night when she heard the footsteps. She had not gone to see Severus this night, because he had wanted to be alert for when Dumbledore returned to the castle. Albus had left with Harry several hours before, and she had no idea when they were to return. She had decided to write a long letter to Tonks.

It was during this process that she a series of soft thuds. They had to be from outside the common room door, maybe even at the end of the hallways. Her first thought was that students had been out of bed, and were ready to sneak back in. She crept out of her room and into the common room. The footsteps were louder, and she was beginning to make out voices. Eliza put her ear up to the door to catch the sound better. She drew back shocked. These were not children's voices. These were adults, and she did not recognize them. She had left her wand up in her room, but it would do her little good anyway. She would have to be ready, because the time had finally come.

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A/N: Hope you liked it!


	18. Chapter 18

Eliza waited for the footsteps to pass a safe distance before she left the common room. Though it was her job to protect the students, she felt the slytherins were most likely the least of her worries. Should Elizabeth warn them of the impending attack, she had a feeling the enemies' numbers would only increase. Her first task was to warn Minerva.

Eliza raced through the hallway at top speed. It was quite a distance to the Gryffindor wing of the castle, but she made it within a few minutes. Pounding on the door, a very startled McGonnagal answered.

"Death eaters are here," Eliza blurted out.

"In the castle? Impossible," Minerva said in disbelief.

"Not impossible apparently, we have little time," Eliza breathed.

"I must go to my students," Minerva grabbed her wand quickly.

"No. I will go to the students. I will tell those who are underage to stay in their common rooms, and not to leave. Anyone of age is welcome to fight," she said fiercely.

"No, I don't want students in danger," Minerva argued.

"We don't have time for this," Eliza replied irritably. "You need to get some order members here, now. It is _my_ job to see to the students."

"Fine," McGonnagal said with set teeth, remembering why Albus had brought Elizabeth to the castle. "The password is _Nebulous."_

"Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?" Eliza asked.

"I don't know," she said frightened. "You will have to-"

"Yea, I know, Let's hurry," Eliza cut her off, already running towards the common room. Minerva ran out the door to alert the others.

Eliza made her way over to the male dorms. She wanted to wake the seventh years first, to gain more able bodies. She went into the first room, and shook awake each of the occupants.

"What the? What's going on?" The sleepy males asked, startled by the appearance of a female in their rooms.

"Get up. There is an emergency," Eliza said with authority. "Death Eaters have broken into the castle. Anyone with enough courage to fight, meet me in the common room, anyone else, do not leave your rooms for any reason, unless I or another staff member comes get you. Understand?"

Eliza went from room to room with the same message. Anyone underage was forbidden to leave. When she went down to the common room, there was a small group of people waiting. By now she could hear commotion in the hallways. Everyone braced themselves, wands at the ready, and slipped out the door.

The group followed the noise, and saw shooting bolts of light in the dark hallway. Some order members had already arrived, and Eliza left the small band of Gryffindors with them so she could search for other students. She could see many younger children running around in panic, trying to avoid getting hit by spells.

"Why aren't you in your room?" She asked after dragging a second year student out of the way from an oncoming curse. "Its dangerous!"

"I heard noises, I came to check," the sobbing girl admitted. Eliza took her by the arm and started running towards another group of students too afraid to move.

"Come on!" She shouted to them. They followed her, and a few others joined them, until they reached the outside of the room of requirement.

_I need a safe place for these children to stay,_ Eliza told the room. She thrust the children inside and went back to find more.

As she searched the hallways, running past duelers and ducking to avoid curses, she saw a dark form running. She recognized him at once. He was alone, ready to run up to the astronomy tower. She felt sick knowing what was about to happen.

"Severus!" she called, and tried to run after him. She smashed into an invisible barrier, and knew she could go no further. Elizabeth turned back to find more children. She could see bodies lying here and there, people unconscious. As she bent to examine a woman lying on the floor, she was hit by a streak of purple. She looked up, coming face to face with a death eater.

From somewhere behind her, Eliza heard whimpers. The girl in the corner could not have been older than twelve. Elizabeth couldn't see the dark man's face because of his mask, but she did see the corners of his mouth turn up into an evil grin. He raised his wand, and pointed it at the young girl, who had turned her back to them and covered her head.

It took Eliza less than a second to react. Before the man had time to blink, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his head and broke his neck. He fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. She ran over to the crouching girl, threw her up into her arms, and ran for the room of requirement.

After safely depositing her charge, Eliza took a deserted path towards the main battle. She was hoping to find stragglers, either to protect or attack. She was halfway down one of the corridors when she saw the lone death eater, already aiming his wand. She took a hard step and launched herself into the air, jumping ten feet over the curse, and landing directly in front of the castor. An angry hiss was the last thing the death eater heard before his neck also snapped. Eliza kept running.

Professor Sprout appeared out of nowhere. Eliza turned and called to her.

"Are the Hufflepuffs in the common room?" she asked harshly.

"I told them to stay there," Sprout affirmed.

"Well, let's hope they listened," she said just in time to dodge a curse.

"Why aren't you in _your_ common room?" The woman asked her, eyes wide. "And where is your wand?"

"I'm of age," she growled. "And I didn't have time to grab it. Don't worry about me."

As Eliza ran away, she noticed large holes in the side of the stone castle, where curses had hit. She was following shouts, and the smell of battle, when she realized the death eaters were moving towards the doors. She followed them out, ready to attack.

She was not sure just how many death eaters had made their way into the castle, but it seemed as though their numbers had not been decimated. She counted at least twenty bodies running towards the gates. At one point, Eliza saw Harry Potter running after one of the death eaters. She knew in her heart which one it was. The younger wizard was firing his wand, and Eliza ran to the gates to head them off.

When she arrived before the heavy doors, she turned to watch the scene between Snape and Potter unfold. She had not been expecting anyone behind her, leaving a split second opening for a curse to hit. Before she knew it, she had lost control of her body. She was only vaguely aware of her surroundings by the time Severus had caught up with them.

"Knott, what are you doing, leave her. We need to get out of here," Snape hissed.

"Is this the Parker girl?" Knott asked Severus.

"Why?" Severus asked, looking from side to side. The order members were closing in.

"We are supposed to take her," Knott informed him.

"_Why!"_ Snape asked, outraged.

"The dark lord's orders," he turned to Eliza. "Tell me, are you Parker?"

Eliza could only nod. She felt fuzzy, not quite sure where she was or what she was doing. She wanted to get away, but she didn't know how. It was as if her feet were rooted into place, until someone ordered her to run.

Severus ran alongside them, not intending to leave her side. As soon as they were able to apperate to the designated meeting place, an old muggle barn, Severus began asking questions. Knott was unable to give any sort of straight answer. Voldemort had told several death eaters to keep an eye out for her. He gave them a description, told them to look for anyone who seemed out of the ordinary. He wanted her alive.

"I thought it must be her. You should have seen how fast she was running," Knott shook his head in disbelief.

It took some time before all of the death eaters had regrouped. They were congratulating themselves on their victory when Voldemort approached. He was very pleased, and allowed his followers to celebrate.

"Will you watch her?" Knott asked Severus. "I want to go join in the fun."

"Yes, go," Severus nodded, pulling Eliza out of Knott's grasp and into his own. For over an hour he did not move from the spot. As the crowd of death eaters thinned, he began to grow more anxious. He could not handle what he was feeling. He wanted to vomit, but could not. Not only had he just killed his friend, but now he was afraid of what the dark lord wanted with Eliza.

Suddenly Voldemort called out a series of names. None of the people, with the exception of Severus, were high on his favored list. They were new members, or people who had felt forced into joining. He asked them to stay a little longer, and those who had not been called out knew it was time for them to go. The only other death eater to stay was Bellatrix.

When everyone else had gone, Voldemort turned towards Severus and Eliza. He smiled, and Bellatrix practically skipped next to his side.

"Bring me the girl," he hissed.

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A/N: the chapter I have anticipated most is up next. This one may take a while to update. Hope you are enjoying the story so far. Thank you for your reviews.


	19. Chapter 19

By now Eliza had fought off the effects of the Imperius curse, yet stood rooted into her spot. She was ready for when Voldemort, or one of his followers, noticed she was under her own will, for she would not be taken by surprise again. However, no one was drawing a wand.

"Bring her to me," the dark lord told Severus. He had her lightly by the wrist and prompted her to follow. The rest of the death eaters, except Bellatrix, looked absolutely confused. They stopped a few feet in front of Voldemort, who smiled widely.

"You can be at no loss as to why you are here," Voldemort sneered with pretend civility. "I believe you and the lovely Bellatrix go way back."

Eliza narrowed her eyes but said nothing. She was not sure what this man knew, or thought he knew.

"Sir, I do not understand, why-" but Severus was silenced with a hand.

"There is much I am sure you do not understand," he hissed. "But tonight you will no longer be ignorant."

Severus looked to Eliza who only shrugged. Bellatrix made an impatient sound. "Can I please just kill her now, my lord?" she growled.

"No," he said turning away. "I have decided to change the plans. She can be very useful for me."

"But what about my revenge!" Bellatrixed bellowed, her cry echoing in the stillness of the night.

"You would rather have your own vengeance than help increase my power?" he asked her angrily. "And you call yourself my most loyal," he huffed.

"No, no. Please, I am. Do what you think is best," she assured him, backing up, but still looking sulky.

"You are keeping quite a secret," he sneered to Eliza. "But I am afraid I have need of your _skills_."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Eliza said coldly.

"Oh, I know you do," he replied, touching her chin. She shrank from his touch, feeling disgusted.

"Well I don't," Severus cut in. "And I would very much like to."

"You have a nice little weapon in your grasp," Voldemort told him, smiling. Severus looked down at Eliza, who looked away.

"What kind of weapon?" Snape questioned, trying to force Eliza took look at him. She would not meet his gaze.

"She is going to make me an army," Voldemort told him.

"You're insane," Eliza barked. One of the death eaters lunged forward, and slapped her for her insult to his master, but the next moment cried out in pain.

"What the hell!" he cried out, holding his hand. Severus looked at the man curiously.

"I take it you have never been, uh, physical, with your little pet," Voldemort laughed darkly. "She has quite a resilience."

"She is not my pet," Severus clarified. "And no, striking a student is usually frowned upon," he said irritably. "What is going on here?"

"I believe I know what you are implying," Eliza spoke boldly to the deranged man. "If I am correct, apparently you have not done your research."

"What do you mean?" Voldemort narrowed his eyes.

"What you want me to _create_ for you," she spat," If I was capable of such a creation, would take a very long time. My _ingredients_ would only replenish themselves every six months or so. One transformation would take my entire _stores_," she emphasized. "And, If I was what you think I am, I could not be sure that I would be able to make such a transformation without killing the object.

"Is this so?" Voldemort questioned, pacing back and forth. "I can wait," he told her seriously. "And your strength and speed would equal ten of my men. Maybe even twenty."

"I think you must have me confused," she tried once again. "And even if you did not, I still would not help you."

"What strength? What speed?" Severus crossed his arms; completely pissed he was lost in this conversation.

"Tell him what you are," Voldemort commanded her. She merely raised an eyebrow. "_Tell him!_" he shouted.

"Go to hell," she whispered.

"Fine! I will tell you a little story then," Voldemort swept passed them dramatically and spun to face them in the other direction. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl, with a very special daddy. She grew up big and strong," he mocked. "One day, this special girl helped capture my best followers."

"Are you done?" Eliza growled.

"You wish," he snorted. "This girl had a little friend, the sister of my most beautiful of servants," he waved his hand over Bellatrix, who beamed. "Did you think you could keep your precious secret?" he asked her cruelly.

"Hasn't changed at all!" Bellatrix inserted madly. "Looks the same from fifteen years ago."

"Like I said, you must be mistaking me for someone else," Eliza tried to sound calm, but inside was shaking terribly.

"I don't think so," he grinned evilly. "Jergans, get over here," he called to one of his perplexed death eaters. The man slowly came forward. "Severus, come over here by me."

Voldemort backed up about fifteen feet, with the two followers on either side, facing a very still Eliza. _ I could run,_ she thought to herself, but she needed to see where this was going.

"Jergan, attack her please. Anything that will do some damage."

Before Severus could open his mouth to protest, he could hear his own spell being called out. The curse hit her, and she braced herself, yet nothing happened. Everyone could only stare.

"My, my, how convenient, skin as hard as a rock. Imagine how much damage you could do, while invincible," he smiled. "You are fast enough to keep your mind safe, and strong enough to keep your body safe."

"So then what makes you think I will join you?" she snorted. "If you believe me to be invincible."

"Because Severus is not," he stated simply, slowly backing away, directing Jergans to follow him. Severus was now halfway between Eliza and Voldemort.

"You wouldn't dare," she snarled.

"How far are you willing to go to protect him?" Voldemort asked sardonically.

"No matter what, I can't join you," she sounded frightened for the first time.

"Go ahead Jergans," Voldemort cooed. He flashed a look at Severus that dared him to block the spell. Severus remained still, grimacing in anticipation.

"Sectumsep-" Jergans called out, but was interrupted by the force of Eliza's body being thrown into his own. He flew into the air and landed hard on his back. In less time it took for him to hit the ground, she was crouched protectively in front of Severus.

"Merlin," Severus said in shock, backing cautiously away from her. "What are you?"

"Oh come, Severus? Have you really not figured it out?" Voldemort gave a wicked laugh. "Really now, do I need to show you more?"

Eliza gave him a hiss, but stayed where she was.

"Let's see now," he considered merrily, as if this was the most entertaining night he had in years. The next moment the entire line of death eaters were wincing, hands moving up to touch the small slices that had just appeared under their jaws. Eliza's eyes grew wide. She knew what he was doing, and it was working. The third death eater from the left had her mouth watering.

"From the way you are looking at Norrick, I would say I have struck a chord," he continued his sadistic rant.

"Norrick, come here," Voldemort called. The young man fearfully stepped forward. He was slightly dragging his feet, as if he knew what was to come.

"Norrick, kill Severus," the dark lord said simply.

Everyone's mouth hung open in shock, especially Severus'. He was having a hard time comprehending what was going on, except the fact that Eliza was keeping a dark secret from him. He had a theory, but it was suddenly put on hold when he heard he was to be executed.

"My lord?" The young man asked, voice shaky.

"I gave you a command," Voldemort said darkly.

Norrick raised his wand, but was unable to hold it steady due to his hand shaking so violently.

"If Norrick fails, then I expect each of you to come forward and finish his task!" Voldemort bellowed to the group of "unimportants". Bella was standing a very safe distance away from the commotion, just watching the exchange. "Now!"

"A-avada Ked-"

Eliza lay in a blood bath. It had taken less than twenty seconds to kill every single death eater who had raised his wand. She had managed to merely snap the necks of those who had been behind the castor, but they had been the lucky ones. Once she had gotten near enough to Norrick, the scent of his blood had driven her insane. Voldemort would have planned this, made sure he had someone of each blood type to find out her weakness. The death eater never had a chance.

For the next half a minute she drained the rare blood from his body. She tried to snap herself out of it, but her rage had made her weak. The only good thing about the episode was that she could be sure no new vampires were to be created that night.

Eliza had a set of fangs that were retractable. The fangs, once lowered, injected a serum into the bloodstream of her prey. It took almost six months for this serum to regenerate itself. If she killed whomever she had injected, then no transformation took place. This was the reason so few vampires were created. It took a lot of willpower to only bite, and walk away. It took several hours for a transformation to take place, once bitten. Few made it past the bite.

Eliza stood a moment later, and hissed menacingly at Voldemort. "I hope you are happy," she spat at him.

"Exceedingly," he told her truthfully. "Now that I am fully aware of what you are capable of. I knew no one was going to be able to touch Severus," he glanced at the man he was speaking about," but I did not realize how very powerful you are."

Severus was barely breathing. He could not believe what he had just witnessed. He was now aware that the dark lord was not seeking to punish him, and therefore he was safe, but he could not process the scene that had just taken place. At least one question had been answered.

"So, You're a vampire," Severus finally spoke, but was still in a great amount of shock. "How is that possible?"

"I'm only half-blood," she told him, ready to cry now. "I wanted to tell you, I just couldn't."

"I see," was all he could say. She took his short answer as anger and disgust, and looked away from him.

"So now that we are all on the same page," Voldemort sneered, "I would like you to consider my offer of joining us."

Eliza hissed in response.

"Well, perhaps time can change your mind, or maybe other types of persuasion," he said dismissively, walking away from her. "My work for tonight is finished." Bellatrix ran to catch up to him.

"My Lord!" she cried indignantly. "You are leaving her alive?"

"What good is she to me dead?" he snapped. "I will leave her to Severus. It will be his task to convert her. I just needed to see what she was capable of," then his voiced turned caressing. "Thank you for bringing her to my attention, you have given me great pleasure." Bellatrix was momentarily pacified, and smiled widely at his praise.

Eliza watched Voldemort and Bellatrix apperate away into the night. She stared at the bodies of the men she had killed, and suddenly felt like a monster. She sank to the floor and sobbed.

Severus was embedded into place. He had no idea what to do, or what to think. He felt like he was in a dream. He was just about to open his mouth to speak, when suddenly Eliza became a great blur, running into the forest.

_What have I done? _Eliza cried to herself. _What am I supposed to do now?_

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A/N: whew. So he knows now :) but what will his reaction be?


	20. Chapter 20

Eliza was sitting quietly at the kitchen table, drinking a steaming mug of tea and reading the _Daily Prophet_. So much had changed in the few months since Dumbledore's death. She felt guilty for not going to Albus' funeral, but she had really not been up to facing anyone, or answering questions. A few weeks after school was let out, she made a private visit to his tomb, but still felt as though she had been disrespectful to his memory.

It had been nearly three months since she had arrived at this cabin, rarely leaving it. It had been a private getaway for her family, and very secluded. She knew no one would look for her here, though fewer and fewer people still cared about her existence. Eliza felt hopeless and unsure.

The Ministry had become an absolute joke. Pius Thicknesse had been made Minister of Magic, but Elizabeth knew better. He was just Voldemort's puppet. This country's wizarding world was now in the hands of an evil madman.

Eliza looked up from her paper when she heard a faint tapping sound at her window. _Oh, I hope its from Tonk!_ Eliza thought excitedly. As Severus' apprentice, the order believed her to be too corrupted to continue joining their meetings, and Tonks was her only contact.

She opened the window, and an unfamiliar owl swooped around the kitchen, and dropped a letter onto her table. She fed him her crust from her toast, and sat down to open the wax-sealed letter.

To Miss Elizabeth Parker,

As the new Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it is my duty to establish a list of returning students to our fine institution. Certain events have created confusion as to weather or not the school shall remain open for the continuing education of our young minds. I am happy to inform you that we welcome our students back to the castle's walls, and inquire as to your attendance. Please fill out the attached form, and return it as soon as possible.

Headmaster of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry,

Severus Snape

Eliza stared at the letter in utter disbelief. Severus the new headmaster? And he was asking her to come back! She was not sure what awaited her when she returned to the school, but she knew she had to face it. If there was a chance for them, she would take it. The form was quickly filled out, and sent back with the owl, now full from his breakfast.

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Eliza sat in her own compartment on the Hogwarts express. This was the first time she had been on the school's train since the nineteen-fifties. Nothing had changed except for the students inside. She sighed to herself, and smoothed out her skirt.

She had been surprised to hear that Harry Potter had not returned to Hogwarts that year. She was less surprised to find out that his friends Ron and Hermione had opted to join him. She hoped Dumbledore had prepared the way for them. She knew most of their fate relied on the abilities of those three young adults.

The slytherin section of the train was by far the most full. She noticed few hufflepuff students returned to school this year. Eliza could not blame them, for they would be easy prey now. But to be honest, no place was safe anymore.

Eliza took her seat next to Draco at the slytherin table before the feast began. She sat down stiffly, and turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"I heard you have been spying on me," she spat. "I do not appreciate it."

"Look, my aunt told me what you are," he whispered fiercely. "You put her in prison you stupid bitch."

"If you tell anyone I will kill you," she said sinisterly. "And I won't even feel bad about it."

"Relax, freak," he retorted. "I am under orders not to say anything."

"Who's?" Eliza asked darkly. A few students were starting to enter, and Draco and Eliza dropped their voices even lower.

"You know who I am talking about," he rolled his eyes. "You may as well join now, its not like you have any other choice," he told her resentfully.

"We always have a choice," she spat. But she did feel a little bad for him. After all, she had no family pressures. She was free to do what she felt necessary. Eliza could see why Draco felt trapped.

"No, we don't" Draco said sadly. They stopped arguing, and looked down at the table. Not sure what to think. The others joined them a few moments later.

Pansy and Millicent were still absolutely clueless about what had transpired a few months back. They began to babble on about their summer months.

"Oh my gosh Eliza! I love your hair!" Millicent squealed.

Pansy began asking Eliza about her summer vacation, and where she had gone. Elizabeth replied with short answers, not really feeling like making any elaborate stories. Draco kept shooting looks in her direction, but they were not necessarily malicious. She did not know what to make of it.

Severus stood. He did not need to say a word to settle down the students. Even the first years were quieted by his very presence. His speech was short, full of no emotion, and only introduced the staff members. He dismissed the students after the feast, and walked straight out of the great hall. Eliza rose to discretely follow him.

She wound down the corridors to find him. She had only given him a few minutes head start, but he seemed to have disappeared. She was growing frustrated when suddenly someone grabbed her arm from the classroom door closest to her, trying to drag her inside. She yanked her hand out of the person's grasp instinctually, and jumped back.

"Quickly," she heard a horse voice call to her. "In here."

Eliza obeyed. She had barely passed the door before she was pinned to it. She stared wide-eyed at Severus, wondering what had gotten into him. She forgot everything when he kissed her fiercely.

"Now," he told her panting. "I want to know everything."

"I don't know what to say," she whispered truthfully. "I thought for sure you would never want to see me again."

"Well you were wrong," he breathed into her ear. "I already lost you once. That will not happen again," he breathed in the scent of her hair, and kissed her gently one more time. "Now I believe you owe me an explanation."

"Its a very long story," she sighed. "Where do you want me to start?"

"I have time," he smirked. "Let's go to my office."

He looked outside the door to make sure no one was in the hallway, then quickly dragged her out the door. He was walking at quite a fast pace, and Eliza kept a safe distance behind him until they reached his new office door. Severus said the password impatiently, and once again pulled Eliza into an empty room.

She nervously sat on the sofa, and waited for him to join her. As he sat, he took her hand and drew her closer. She was surprised to see Severus so unlike himself. He was usually so full of steady control. He was acting as if she may disappear at any second.

"First, I want to know about your hair," he smiled, fingering her shorter locks. She had let her natural color grow out, and cut her hair a few inches below her chin. She shook it out of habit, and bit her lip.

"That the real deal," she said shyly. "No more pretend colors."

"How about just no more pretend?" he said sternly.

"Alright," she agreed, soft-spoken.

"Why did you leave?" Severus asked, looking into her eyes. It was hard for her to keep eye contact because she felt guilty. However, she had promised to tell him the truth.

"I did not think you would accept me," she told him simply. "I thought you would freak out if I told you who I am."

"Well you didn't give me a chance to prove you wrong," he stated, a little angrily. "Do you know what you did to me when you left?"

"I think I do," Eliza said with tears in her eyes. "I am so sorry. I was trying to make amends last year, without giving myself away. I did not want you to see me like that," she sniffed.

"I will admit, I was completely shocked," Severus said shaking his head. "But then so much started to make sense. Albus-" Severus choked on the name. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Albus kept trying to make me believe I was crazy. But I knew. I could feel it."

"I wanted so badly to tell you," she gripped his hand tighter. "I really did, I was just afraid of losing what I had left of you."

"Aren't you the one who was giving me lectures on trust?" he said sternly. "That is a bit hypocritical, don't you believe?"

"Yes," she had to agree. "I thought I would frighten you. Repulse you even."

"Well seeing you in action is not the prettiest sight," he agreed. "In fact, you're right, it's very disgusting," he chuckled. "But that still doesn't change how I feel about you."

"Severus, I massacred those men," she told him seriously. "Part of me is a killer. I don't like to kill, but I have done it. Many times now."

"As have I," he said sadly. "We do what we have to do."

The pair fell silent for a few moments, reflecting on the impact of his words. Neither one had a clean record, yet they were fighting for the right side. This was war, and it was kill or be killed. But it was not easy for either of them.

"So what happens now?" she asked him.

"You make me understand," he replied.

"What do you not understand?" Eliza tilted her head.

"You!" he snorted. "Tell me more about you."

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"For starters, tell me about your parents," he said logically.

Eliza explained her parents' situation, and how she had come out of it. She told him how her father had been in the London coven that had been murdered, and how her mother, who had been a witch, had also recently died.

"So see, I was telling the truth about that," she said brightly.

"You said your father was a muggle," Snape pointed out.

"Well, he wasn't a _wizard_," she emphasized.

"Alright," he mused. "So tell me about Bellatrix."

For almost a half hour Eliza spoke about her relationship with Andromeda, Ted, and Nymphadora Tonks. How she had been part of a secret elite group of capturers who went after the death eaters. They had wanted to remain anonymous to the public, but all had special "talents" that gave them an advantage.

"So when I met you the first time, it was because Dumbledore asked you to come?" Severus questioned.

"Yes. We did not feel it was safe yet," Eliza clarified. "And that is also why he asked me to come back," she said fidgeting.

"Didn't you want to come back?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"I was afraid to come back," she told him truthfully. "But I also wanted to help. I do not regret my decision," Eliza smiled. Snape thought for a moment.

"Why can't spells hurt you?" He said, somewhat randomly.

"Vampire protection I guess. I was lucky, though, I could have gotten screwed. Its nice to have some UV protection so I can come out in the sunlight."

Severus nodded as if this was a seemingly normal comment to make. "Why don't you have pointed teeth?" he asked her.

"I do," she laughed lightly. "Didn't you see them?"

Severus shook his head. "Show me."

"I can't. I'll lose all the serum I have stored. I don't really think I will need to create anymore vampires anytime soon, but just in case, I don't want to waste it."

"Ok, you will need to explain that to me," Severus told her, touching her cheek. She smiled and leaned into the contact. She could not believe how well he was taking all of this. She could not have been happier.

"I think another night," she laughed, but then thought about something. "Just to clarify though, spells can hurt me. My mind does not have the same protection as my body. The Imperious curse, legilimency, anything like that can affect me."

"Well that explains some of my other questions," he considered.

"Are you really not weirded out by this?" She asked him smiling.

"Oh I am extremely weirded out by this," he smirked, tracing her bottom lip with his finger. "But I would much rather know what I am up against," he teased, placing a quick kiss on her mouth.

"Well, there will be many more opportunities for explanation," Elizabeth told him with a laugh. "I think I need to go up to my dorm, before I am missed."

"You have already been missed," Severus replied, pulling her on top of him once more.

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A/N: Yay! Ok, I will try to update within the next few days. I hope you liked the chapter :). Thanks for all your nice reviews! They keep my in the spirit of writing!

p.s.- I know i uploaded this chapter twice, and took one down. It was WAY too full of spelling errors, I just couldn't live with it. Hope you don't mind!


	21. Chapter 21

"So how do you like your classes?" Severus asked Eliza about a week after the term began. They were having a late-night snack in the headmaster's office, and her schoolbooks were littering the table around them.

"No better than usual," she replied bitterly. "I wish I didn't have to keep up these stupid pretenses."

"It is irritating," he smirked, meaning that they had to keep their relationship secretive.

"And Professor Carrow makes _you _look tame," she huffed. "Five feet on the cruciatus curse. Before you know it he will have us _using_ it."

"Don't doubt it," Severus told her seriously. They don't call the class _Dark Arts_ now for nothing. The dark lord is training potential followers. He knows few good-hearted wizards have the strength to use dark curses."

"Well watch me," she sneered.

"Speaking of which," Severus sighed, "What have you decided to do?"

Eliza popped a pasty in her mouth and began chewing, "Img 'onna joing 'em" she said told him around a mouth full of sweets.

"Ok, first of all, that is very unladylike," Severus told her, wrinkling his nose. "And second of all, it sounded like you saidyou were going to join him."

Eliza took a sip of tea to stop from choking. After composing herself, she told him simply, "I did."

"Care to explain that further?" Severus questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not _really_ going to join him. I am just going to make him think I am," Eliza rolled her eyes.

"You think you can fool the dark lord?" Severus asked sternly.

"Well you do such a fine job, it seems possible," she retorted. "And yes, I can. But I need to go no earlier or later than November," she told him seriously. "Otherwise my plan may backfire."

"And your plan is?"

"Look, I still haven't worked out the fine details yet, but I need to warn you, someone is going to die," she told him seriously. "If you don't want to be around for that, I understand."

"I will probably have no choice, but who is it you plan on killing, just out of curiosity?" he asked confused.

"Whomever the dark lord asks me to."

Suddenly Severus understood completely. "That might actually work," he considered.

"Okay, yes, I'm brilliant, can you keep teaching me this rubbish now," she pointed to the pile of books. "Because you know, it's going to be so useful for me."

"Haven't I already taught you this before?" he teased her.

"Oh, you are a riot," she replied irritably.

"I can't help it you find me so distracting," he smirked.

Eliza playfully smacked his arm.

"Ow," he told her smiling, rubbing the sore spot. "Careful."

"Then stop pissing me off," she laughed, and then stiffened at the sound of fast approaching footsteps. "Someone is coming," she whispered.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The two shared a panicked look, and quickly separated, cleaning up the mess around them. Eliza was hastily shoving her books in her bag while Severus made his way to the desk. She was just about to reach the door when Severus called, "Enter."

The door swung open to reveal a very tired, and angry Minerva, who stormed into the office, "Don't let me interrupt," she said sarcastically. Eliza, upon seeing who it was, casually sat back down on the sofa.

"I'm sure you are not ignorant of the fact the slytherin students feel they have free reign over the school," Minerva said resentfully.

"Have you spoken to their head of house?" Severus replied, unmoved by her angry outburst.

"Indeed I have. He suggested I speak with the _headmaster._ Slughorn will not make a move without you backing him up; will you please tell him to discipline his students? We all know they will not take orders from anyone else but you Slytherins," she spat, giving Eliza an icy look. "Half my students are in the hospital wing!"

"Thank you for sharing your concern," Was the only reply Severus gave. Minerva knew she was going to get nowhere else with him. She stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind her.

"You know, she has a point," Eliza told him, walking over to him and hopping up on his desk.

"There is little I can do," he told her shrugging. We must all keep appearances."

"Well, it _appears_ as though she still loathes me," Eliza sighed. "Did you see the way she looked at me? Everyone in the order believes me to be a traitor. Even Tonks will not reply to my owls."

"That's the life of a spy," he told her simply. "And don't forget, I'm a killer. In their eyes I am the worst kind of traitor. You chose to stay associated with me, and Minerva made sure to inform the order."

"Then I guess it's just us," she reached out for him to pull him a little closer. He kissed her wrist, and pulled her off the desk.

"Don't sit like that, its too tempting," he smirked.

"That was the point," she whispered in his ear.

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It was just before Halloween when Severus had his sleep disturbed by a pounding sound. He groaned, quickly dressed, and stumbled out of his bedroom and into his sitting room, where the pounding became louder. He walked over to the door and yanked it open.

"Yes!" he barked, to see a very startled Alecto, and an irritated Elizabeth, whom the former had grasped by the arm.

"Headmaster, I am so sorry to bother you at this time," she began.

"As you should be," he seethed. "What is it you could not handle yourself?"

"Normally I would give such a noble student from Salazar Slytherin's house a _break_," she emphasized to Eliza, who rolled her eyes. "But when I caught this young student out of doors, by the forbidden forest, she spoke- out of turn," she stated, somewhat unsure.

"What did she say?" Severus asked, intrigued.

Alecto stuttered, and did not want to repeat Eliza's words. "Well?" Severus said impatiently. Finally Eliza growled.

"I told her to leave me alone and go back to fucking her brother, I'm sure he's waiting for her," Eliza spat. Snape's eyes grew wide in surprise, and Alecto raised her hand wand to Elizabeth.

"That won't be necessary Professor Carrow," Severus told her, lowering her wand arm gently with his hand.

"It won't do any good, I already tried! This little Brat keeps blocking me!" Alecto said in a rage. "I expect something to be done about her!"

"Sure, sure, she will have detention with me," Severus brushed her away. "Thank you Professor, now if you don't mind, I have some choice words to say to Ms. Parker."

Aecto sauntered down the hallway, still fuming and muttering to herself. Severus waited for her to completely disappear before pulling Eliza into his rooms.

"Are you crazy!" he yelled at her. "What on earth were you trying to do?"

"I'm _sorry_," Eliza said exasperated. "But she was really pissing me off. She had it coming. Did you know that she used the cruciatus curse on three Gryffindors today?"

"I heard something about it," he sighed.

"Do you know why?" She seethed. He shook his head.

"Because a group of slytherins surrounded them in class and set fire to their essays, _in front of her_."

"So then why did she punish them?" Severus questioned.

"For not turning in their homework," Elizabeth spat. "This is getting out of hand."

"I am not saying I don't agree," Severus motioned for her to sit. "But what were you doing outside the castle?"

"I was thirsty," she said darkly. Severus stiffened.

"Look, usually I am completely fine, but once I've had a taste, it's harder for me. I sort of have to wean my way off again," she explained. "You don't have to worry, I won't harm anyone. I was just looking for something in the forest, like a deer or bear. Something non-magical, I know better," she assured him, when she saw his look of concern.

"So how did you do?" he asked, swallowing hard. He looked positively nauseated.

Eliza laughed. "I think it would be better for you not to ask. You look like you are going to be sick."

"Well, I'm really trying," he told her, still slightly green.

"And I appreciate that. This is not something that happens often, so try not to think about it," she smiled, shaking her head.

"But you said you were going to have to kill again," he pointed out.

"Its true, this year might prove to be a bit more difficult than I thought," she sighed. "But honestly, it won't be a problem."

Severus leaned in to kiss her, but then backed away at the last second, wrinkling his nose. "I want to kiss you- but," he couldn't say the words.

"I know, I know, I'm disgusting," she rolled her eyes. "I wasn't messy," she whined.

"Oh merlin, I don't even want to think about that," he gagged.

Eliza snorted and stood. "I think we both could use some sleep. I'll come see you tomorrow for my _detention_," she laughed.

They said their goodbyes and Eliza stole out of the door. She had made it about halfway down the corridor before she heard someone's wheezy breathing, coming from the end of the hallway. Eliza sighed, and braced herself as she made her way towards the noise.

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A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! Thanks again for your reviews, and I hope to update soon. Any Q's, feel free to PM me.


	22. Chapter 22

Eliza was unsurprised when she rounded the corner and met with Alecto's wand. She merely raised an eyebrow and asked in a monotone voice, "Could you get that thing out of my face please."

"You think you are so _special_," Alecto hissed at her. "Think you own the school now that your banging the headmaster, do you?"

"Are you actually accusing me of this?" Eliza asked, keeping her voice cool.

"Its no secret, rumors are spawning left and right," Carrow sneered.

"Perhaps you should go to the headmaster with your _concerns_," Eliza challenged. I'm sure he would like to hear them."

"As if he would admit it!" she barked.

"Then what exactly is the point of this meeting?" Eliza asked in a bored tone. Her nonchalance was only making Alecto angrier.

"I'm only going to warn you once to watch it. If you say anything like that to me again, you will pay, do you understand me?" Professor Carrow said menacingly.

"If you believe the headmaster and I to have such a _special_ relationship," Eliza said sarcastically. "Do you really think threatening me is wise?"

"He can't do anything to me," she said confidently. "And I am in charge of discipline. It is you who should be afraid."

"Ooh, I'm positively shaking" Eliza rolled her eyes. "Now its my turn to warn you," she spat. "Stay out of my business. You have no idea what I am capable of."

"Not much, according to my brother," Alecto laughed. "He has told me about your feeble attempts at the Dark Arts."

"Not everyone needs a wand to be threatening," Eliza suddenly turned cold and frightening, backing Alecto into the wall and glared, an inch away from her face. "I can do more damage than you can even dream."

"You- you better stop this at once," came the shaky reply. "Or I will-"

"Will what?" Eliza smirked. "Tell the headmaster on me?"

"You will get expelled!" Alecto yelled.

"I wouldn't bet on that," she said icily. "If I were you, I would leave now, before you really make me angry."

The two females stared each other down for several heartbeats. Alecto tried to push her way past Eliza, but found herself pinned. With a frustrated growl she tried again, to no avail. Elizabeth finally let her pass, shooting her one last warning glance.

"This isn't over," Carrow called over her shoulder as she hurried away.

_Not in the least,_ Eliza thought to herself as she returned to her room.

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"How were your Halloween festivities?"

Eliza looked up from her transfiguration homework to give Severus a confused look. The pair had been working silently on their separate tasks, and she had no idea where that had come from.

"I didn't go to the party," She told him confused.

"I know. I was there. _My_ attendance was required," he said irritably. "I expected you to come make my night less miserable. And this is the first I have seen you in almost a week," he pointed out.

Eliza sighed. "I told you, people are talking. I was trying to be less conspicuous."

"I see," was his only reply.

"Besides, I'm a little too old to be celebrating like a child," she added.

"Your still a seventh year," he pointed out. "You should get to join in the fun."

"First of all, I've been a seventh year three times now. The novelty has worn off," she snorted. "Second of all, I'm older than _you_, so don't lecture me."

"You are not that much older than me," he said with his chin in the air.

"_Almost twice as much!"_ Eliza laughed.

"Sometimes I forget how strange you really are," Severus shook his head.

"Speaking of which, we need to go," Eliza looked at the clock. "The students should all be in bed now."

"You are sure you want to do this?" Severus asked for the hundredth time.

"Yes, I am sure," she sighed. "There is no other way."

The two put their cloaks on, and walked quickly to the gates, trying to stay in the shadows. When they exited school grounds, Severus apperated them to the corner of a street.

"Where are we?" Eliza looked around.

"We are going to Malfoy Manor," Severus replied quickly leading her towards a large home. She stood stiffly and silently as they made their way past the wards and the guards.

"Narcissa, is the master here?" Snape asked coldly to the light haired woman.

"Yes, and Bellatrix too," she said softly. Eliza immediately hissed and turned to scan the room.

"Will you relax?" Severus told her angrily. Narcissa had jumped back in surprise, yet did not seem angry at the response that came from the mention of her sister.

Eliza sobered, but was still on her guard. She needed to be ready in case anyone tried to captivate her mind.

"The are in the study, I will announce you." Narcissa turned away with hunched shoulders, and went through a set of double doors.

"I kind of feel bad for her," Eliza whispered. "She is like a servant in her own home."

"The dark lord is displeased with the family," was his only explanation.

A few moments later Narcissa entered, and motioned for them to follow. Eliza observed the once beautiful home. It would not be long before it was in shambles. There were large holes blasted into doors and hallways. Mrs. Malfoy walked past them as if she no longer noticed. She opened the doors to the study, ushered them in, and retreated.

"My, My, so nice to meet you again so soon," Voldemort chirped. He was seated on an oversized leather chair, turned away from a brooding fire. At his right hand, Bellatrix was naturally perched. She narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth, but otherwise said nothing.

"Master," Severus bowed. Eliza slightly inclined her head in recognition.

"What have you decided then?" he asked her eagerly, leaning foward.

"Here is the deal," Eliza said with more confidence than she felt. "My own side has forsaken me."

"Is this so?" Voldemort laughed darkly. "And why is that?"

"Because of _him_." Eliza jerked her thumb towards Severus. "Apparently I am too close to the _other side_, so I am, in a word, unwelcome."

"I see, so you will be serving me then?" The dark lord clasped his hands together.

"Um, let's not get carried away," Eliza said in a commanding tone, placing a hand on her hip.

"Meaning?" The dark man asked.

"I am no longer opposing you. There is nothing for me to gain by it," she stated evenly. "And Severus has been very _persuasive_," she paused for effect, "in recommending to me that maybe I should offer you a little of my assistance," she raised an eyebrow. "But I am still my own master."

"No one is ordering you to take the dark mark," Voldemort chuckled. "In fact, it is not even being offered."

"Because of my blood status?" she asked, irritated.

"Well that, but also because of your _species_ status. We don't allow it," he told her simply. "However, we do accept your help with gratitude, you can ask Mr. Greyback," he sneered.

"Do you mean Fenrir Greyback?" Eliza hissed.

"Indeed I do," he gave a twisted grin. "Are you acquainted?"

"Let's just say it would be better if we were kept apart," Eliza said darkly. "Or you may find you have a little less help," she told him bitterly.

"Speaking of offering aid," he said standing, "how soon can you give yours?" Voldemort asked with a knowing look.

"I can _try_ this very minute," Eliza told him. "However, you may want to start with someone you do not particularly care for, as this may not end well."

"You do not think you are capable?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You already know this," she pointed out. "But I am willing to try. The question is, are you willing to take the risk of losing someone."

"If you fail, I will punish Severus," Voldemort threatened. "Perhaps that will give you a little more incentive to succeed."

"If you punish Severus, I will punish Bellatrix," Eliza challenged with narrowed eyes. "And you will be out _two_ of your most _faithful servants_," she spat. "And you know I have no qualms about taking her out. It would be a pleasure."

Voldemort considered this a moment, looking back and forth between Eliza, Severus, and Bellatrix. Eliza stood stiff with her arms crossed, not backing down.

"Then we have an understanding," Voldemort said at last, for he was not stupid. He was insane, but intelligent enough to know Eliza could easily decimate everyone in the manor, besides himself, and it was better to have her on his side.

"So now what?" Elizabeth asked.

"I have already chosen a candidate. He has not been warned of the risks, and I expect you to keep it that way," the dark lord commanded. He quickly touched his arm, and sat back to wait. Eliza and Severus did not move a muscle for the ten minutes it took for the wizard to appear.

The man was in his upper twenties, very tall and lanky. He bowed to the serpent-like man, and waited for instructions.

"Your time to prove yourself has arrived," Voldemort told him regally, nodding to Elizabeth.

"This is the vampire?" the young man asked, taking in her appearance and doubting.

"Half," she corrected with attitude, insulted by the looks. She looked to Voldemort. "We need to do this away from distractions, I need to concentrate."

"There is an empty room. Its up the stairs on the right," Severus told her, the first time he had spoken since their arrival.

"Proceed," Was all Voldemort said.

Eliza led the poor man out the door silently. As they arrived at the stairs, she stopped him, and held up her hand to signal silence. Elizabeth knew the man could no longer hear what was being said in the room, but she could.

"I'm pleased Severus," Voldemort told him. "I had hoped for this."

"I just hope she is successful," Severus sighed, knowing it was untrue.

"Well, even if she is not, I will still be pleased. A little disappointed, but still," the dark lord considered.

"May I ask why, Sir?" Snape asked in a confused tone.

"Because I also want an assassin. A real killer, who when it comes time for battle, will not hesitate. I want her out of control, lusting for blood. If Jackson has to die, then, well so be it," Voldemort gruffed.

"And what if she comes after _me_?" Bellatrix cut in. "You know she wants to kill me."

"She can't, and she knows it," Voldemort assured her.

"And why is that?" Bellatrix said distrustfully.

"Because its me for you," Severus spat at her. "So relax."

"I didn't realize you were so _extraordinary_," Bella sneered.

Eliza stopped listening, and turned to walk numbly up the stairs. So he wanted a monster? _Well that is what he is getting,_ Eliza thought darkly to herself. She was trying not to look at the human being whose life was minutes away from ending.

They arrived at the empty room, which was pitch black and cold. He shivered.

"Lumos," the man whispered, and his light cast a glow on the bare floor as they entered.

"You will probably want to put that out," Eliza warned him, knowing he would be terrified once he saw her face change, and not wanting to see his frightened features.

"Don't you need it to see?" he questioned.

"We can see especially well in the dark, " Eliza shrugged. She felt guilty when she saw the momentary look of excitement on his face about what he was supposed to become. She was beginning to have doubts about what she was about to do.

"Is this going to hurt?" He asked her.

Eliza was torn. If she was really trying to transform him, the pain would have been minimal. It was just a bite, then for several hours the "patient" would be unconscious while their body changed its chemistry. They felt nothing.

But she was not just going to bite. She was going to drain his blood, which was extremely painful when one was alive. She considered killing him first, but knew it wouldn't work. It had to look like an accidental overdose. Her own overdose.

"Put that out," She told him, but he shook his head.

"No, I want to see," he urged. She sighed.

A moment later, the wand was knocked out of his grasp. She was upon him so fast the he did not have time to blink. The last thing he saw was Eliza crouching, fangs protruding, and then her pouncing on top of him. He was stunned. He did not move as her fangs entered his neck, and the serum entered his system, but suddenly began to jerk around like a fish out of water when she began to suck.

Eliza knew he desperately wanted to scream from the pain, but could not. He was starting to flop around, so she held him tighter in her grasp. Eliza wanted to gag, for the taste of his blood was extremely bitter to her, but she kept going. He eventually passed out from the lack of blood in his body, and the physical stress. She kept going until she was sure no more serum could possibly still be left to transform him.

Eliza paced around the room. She had not killed very often, but when she did, an adrenalin rush always followed that made her more susceptible to violence. She was trying to walk it off before returning downstairs. Twenty minutes elapsed and she was still worked up. She heard someone walking up the stairs and let out a ferocious warning hiss.

The footsteps continued, and there was a knock at the door. The soft voice of Mrs. Malfoy could be heard, asking if everything was all right, but Eliza only told her to back off.

"I'm going to get Severus," Narcissa warned her, and was gone. A few minutes later, four wands illuminated the room, to show a crouching Eliza, teeth bared, behind a dead body. Narcissa looked ill, Severus shook his head, and Bellatrix stomped off. Only Voldemort smiled.

"My, my, as savage as I had hoped," he said gleefully. Eliza hissed in response. "Better luck next time, I suppose." He turned to Severus. "I hope you can handle her from this point, I will be in touch," he said, before leaving them alone.

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A/N: Omg! I'm so sorry it took forever to update!


	23. Chapter 23

"Are you alright?" Severus asked Eliza, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She bared her teeth for a moment, then collected herself, shaking her head.

"What have I done?" she whispered, staring at the pale form lying on the floor.

"We need to go, now," Severus told her seriously. "We need to get you home."

Eliza nodded and let Severus guide her through the mansion. She walked very stiffly down the street, and tensed as Severus took her to the castle by side-along apperation. They stole through the night and entered the doors quietly.

"Where do you think you are going?" Severus questioned Eliza when she began to leave his side.

"To my room," she said numbly.

"Oh no," he replied, taking her arm once more. "I am not leaving you on your own. Not in this state."

Eliza noiselessly complied. Severus uttered the words to take down his wards, and ushered her into his rooms.

"This way," he motioned for her to follow into the room where he slept. She had never been in it before, but was too distracted to really look around. She heard the squeak of a drawer being shut, and turned to find Severus holding some black fabric out to her.

"I hope this will do," he told her. "It will probably be too big, but I don't have anything smaller." She took the shirt out of his hands, and made her way to the bathroom.

Eliza gazed at herself in the mirror, then promptly looked away. She could not handle what she saw there. Though her face was clean, she felt filthy. There were spots of blood on her robes from where it sprayed as she entered his artery. She immediately turned on the shower, disrobed, and set to scrubbing herself fiercely.

Severus was starting to worry. Even through the sounds of the water she could hear him pacing around the room. She felt guilty that she was causing so much commotion. Eliza finished her shower and toweled off. The shirt she put on was far too large, but she really did not care what she looked like at the moment. She just needed to get back to Severus.

"Any better?" he questioned, very concerned. She nodded, and waited for further instructions.

"Okay, I want you to come lay down," he told her, turning down the covers. "If you need me, I will be in the next room."

She made a noise of protest. "Aren't you going to stay with me?" she asked softly. Severus hesitated. He was already changed, and holding a blanket and pillow, ready to sleep on the sofa.

"Is that what you want?" Severus questioned.

"I really don't want to be alone," she confessed. Severus placed the bedclothes on his chair, and walked over to her. He kissed her gently, making sure to move very slowly so he did not startle her. He did not know the proper way to behave in this situation, but he decided caution was a must.

"Then I will stay," he told her, looking into her face. She looked very shaken, and his heart felt suddenly heavier.

The two climbed into the small bed, getting under the emerald covers. Eliza curled into a ball on her side, but Severus lay flat on his back, deep in thought. He almost wished he had seen what had happened, just to understand.

He was near sleep when Eliza turned abruptly. His chest felt suddenly heavy, as the girl lay halfway on top of him. Unsure, he moved his own hand to rest on her back. She sighed in contentment. Everything was so much easier when they were together.

"I'm sorry," Eliza breathed in a whisper.

"Whatever for?" he answered a bit gruffly, for it was difficult to talk with her weight on his chest.

"For making such a mess of things," she answered. "I need to learn to handle this better. This is only the beginning."

"Eliza, look at me," he commanded. She obeyed. "You did exactly what was planned. You succeeded."

"I know, but I just can't stop replaying it in my mind. You didn't see the look on his face," she was crying now. "I can't get the taste out of my mouth. The constant reminder that I just killed a man."

"You probably just saved a dozen lives by doing so," he pointed out sternly. "When it comes down to the final battle, a lot of people who did not believe themselves capable will be taking many lives."

"Not like I just did," she sobbed.

"What difference does it make? Is there a difference between a wand and a handgun when the end result is death?" he questioned. " have your own weapons, and that is what is in your power to use."

"He called me a savage," she added quietly.

"I can not deny that your powers are a bit _animalistic_," he replied truthfully. "But is that really what is getting to you. Would you be less upset if you had used the killing curse with your wand?"

"I don't know," she sniffed.

"Why are you running from yourself?" he asked, getting to the crux of the matter. "You keep what you are a secret, and you run from your true nature."

"My nature is to be a killer!" she spat. "Why would I not run from that?"

"No, that is not true," he argued. "I know I don't understand everything that is involved, but this is what I see. You try so hard to pretend to be nothing but a witch, but there is more to you."

"I am something that should not exist," she replied icily. "There is no real place for me."

"Well since you do exist, and other just like you also exist, clearly there is a place for you in this world," he challenged.

"Well I don't know why I am here," Eliza replied, uncertainty in her voice.

"Who does?" Snape laughed darkly. "Why are any of us here? You cannot dictate your life around what you believe other people want you to be. Who cares what they think? Living your life the way you choose certainly will not make you popular, trust me on this." Eliza had to smile at his words. "But it is _yours_. You need to be who you really are."

Eliza gave Severus' words great thought throughout the course of the night. They had a big impact on her. She had always believed she needed to live in hiding because no one would accept her. She had learned to be afraid of her vampire instincts, even be repulsed by them. Maybe she needed to adjust her views.

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Three weeks after the start of winter, Elizabeth made her way down to the dungeons for her third detention with Professor Carrow. This one, like the two before, had been for talking out of turn.

"You too?" Came a husky voice from behind. Neville Longbottom tried to catch up to Eliza's quick pace.

"Yea. Got mine ten minutes after yours, when class got let out," Eliza told him smiling. "How is your face?"

"Healing up just fine," Neville said proudly.

"That was bloody wicked though," she snorted. "That crack about her blood status, I wish I had thought of it."

"I noticed she doesn't like you much," he pointed out. "I thought since you are, you know, slytherin and all, that you guys would get on."

"I think the day I told her to go back to shagging her brother, the fondness was shattered."

"I see," Neville smiled. "I take it she did not appreciate that one?"

"Nope. Or your crack either," Eliza sniggered. "That's why I am here."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"Well I went up to her and told her not to feel bad. I explained no one would confuse her for having tainted blood, that she was as inbred as they come," Eliza smiled. "Apparently, she did not see is as a compliment."

The two walked quietly to the dungeons. Eliza could here voices coming from the Dark Arts classroom, and hastily stopped Neville. She strained to listen, her pulse quickening from their words.

"What is it?" Neville asked. He could not hear the Carrow siblings' discussion from so far away, but Eliza only shushed him. A few more moments went by before she had heard enough. She turned to the gryffindor.

"Do you trust me?" She asked him fervently.

"Um, not really," he replied truthfully.

"I need you to trust me just this once," she requested.

"What is it?"

"I need to hurt you." His eyes grew wide in shock, and he started to pull out his wand. "Nothing serious!" she assured him. "You need an excuse to get to the hospital wing, to get out of this detention."

"Why?" he asked, alarmed now.

"The professors are setting up something terrible for you. They were making all of these sickening plans, to torture, maybe even kill you," she said harshly.

"How do you know?" he asked, shaking.

"Do you trust me, or not?" she asked him, redirecting the subject.

"Look, just tell me- Aaagh," he screamed out in pain as Eliza broke his arm. "What the hell!" he cried out.

"Go! Now!" Eliza yelled and pushed him. She knew the professors would be coming to investigate at any moment.

"Is there a problem?" she heard a silky voice behind her. Severus must have been working on being deadly silent, because for once she had not heard approaching footsteps. She whipped around.

"Headmaster, Neville is hurt, he needs to go to the hospital wing," she emphasized. Just then the Carrows joined them in the hallways.

"There you are," Amycus sneered. "We have been waiting for you."

"She broke my arm!" Neville pointed to Eliza, who glared at him.

"Well he insulted Slytherin," she said with a shrug.

"Well I want both of you in my classroom, now," Amycus demanded. "My sister tells me you need some respect beat into you."

"Another detention Ms. Parker?" Severus asked with his arms crossed. "Professors, clearly you are not getting through to her. I will take it from here," he grabbed her arm and dragged her forward as she played along. "Mr. Longbottom, to the hospital wing with you."

"But professor!" Alecto protested. Severus paid no heed, but Eliza could not help but shoot her a smug look.

As soon as they were alone, Elizabeth informed him of the intentions of the two professors.

"Why did you get involved?" Severus shook his head.

"Because, that is why I am here," she replied with her chin in the air. "What you said before, I listened. I may not flaunt my capabilities around, but I will no longer hesitate to use them if needed. Tonight they were needed."

"What will you do now?" he asked, impressed.

"Help in anyway I can. First I need to find a place that is safe. Maybe the room of requirement. I'm sure there will be others who will need a place to hide," she finished with a sigh.

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"Did he find it?" Eliza questioned Severus when he returned from his mission. He had not really explained what he was up to, just that he needed to make sure Harry had the weapon he needed.

"The Weasley boy, ironically," Severus sighed. "It won't be too much longer."

"I hope," Eliza sighed. "I just want this to end."

"Don't we all," Severus agreed.

Eliza scooted over to make room for him on the sofa as he fell into it, exhausted. The past few months had been very difficult, and he needed some real rest.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to a letter on the table next to Eliza.

"Sanguini's response," she told him smiling. "He's in."

"Well that will be very useful," Snape sighed. "I will let the dark lord know."

"I'll tell him myself," Eliza volunteered.

"I think it would be better if I told him," Severus challenged. "I would like to keep you out of his reach as much as possible.

"And I need to make him feel like I want to help," Eliza argued. "Just take me to him."

"Tomorrow," he told her with a groan.

"Now," she whined.

"Always a spoiled brat," he growled. "Fine!"

After almost a half hour, Eliza and Severus, still not speaking, arrived in front of Malfoy Manor. Severus turned to her. "Just deliver the message quickly so we can get out of here," he said shortly.

"Obviously," she rolled her eyes at him.

After managing to make it into the doors, Narcissa once again met them in the hallway.

"He is not in the best of moods," Narcissa warned Severus. "Use caution."

"Thank you," Eliza told Mrs. Malfoy.

"How is my son?" Narcissa asked in a quiet whisper.

"He is, well, surviving like the rest of us," Eliza told her. "He seems fine."

"Thank you," Narcissa breathed a sigh of relied. Eliza felt sympathy for her.

"Come on," Severus urged. The three made their way to the dark lord's favorite room, and waited for permission to enter Lucius' study.

"What is it?" came and agitated reply.

"Severus and Eliza Parker to see you, sir," Narcissa said through the door.

"Bring them in," He said, slightly less irritable.

Eliza followed Severus through the door, and the three exchanged their false pleasantries. Eliza got right to the point.

"Sorry to disturb you," she replied with fake sincerity. "I just wanted to deliver some news to you."

"By all means," Voldemort urged her to continue. "It had better be good news, because I am afraid I can not tolerate any bad at the moment."

"Well then I am happy to oblige," she smiled. "Because I was unsuccessful in out last meeting," she ignored the cautious look Severus shot her, "I wanted to make amends. I believe I have found a way."

"Is this so?" Voldemort replied, interested.

"A friend of mine is sympathetic to your cause," she told him diplomatically. "I understand you have a bit of _influence_," she emphasized, "Within the ministry."

"I do indeed," he confirmed.

"This is his offer, then," she continued. "If it ever comes down to it, he is willing to fight for our side."

"And in return?" Voldemort was positively gleeful now.

"He wants our classification changed, in the ministry books," she told him. "He wants the word _being_ taken out, and _life form _put in its place. He wants the restrictions taken away."

"Consider it done," Voldemort clapped his hands together. "Of course, it will not be official until after he has proven himself in battle."

"That has been agreed upon," she told him, sounding like they were conducting a business meeting.

"And he is full-blooded?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded.

"Perfect," Voldemort smiled wickedly.

"We need to get back to the castle before we are missed," Severus interjected. Voldemort waved them away, and they made a beeline for the door. The two sighed heavily in relief when they made it back to the gates.

"That went well," he shot her a look.

"Well it was pleasing news," she shrugged. "Too bad it was a load of crap," she smiled mischievously.

"Too bad," he said with a smirk.

"We have done out part," Eliza said with determination. "Let's hope Harry does his."

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A/N: things are cooking......dun dun dun. Hope you like the chapter. Thanks for your reviews!


	24. Chapter 24

"Would you cut that out!" Severus bellowed, slamming down his quill. Eliza immediately stopped humming to herself.

"Geeze," Eliza replied, "I could sing it if you like," she told him sarcastically.

"I'm familiar with your singing, and I would rather you didn't" he said crossly.

"What's wrong with _you_?" she inquired, affronted.

"I can't concentrate with all of that noise," Severus scowled.

"Well don't worry, you just sucked all the good mood right out of me," Eliza replied. She hated the days when he was irritable, which were most days. She sighed to herself, remembering she made the choice to take the bad with the good. "I'm going to get some air."

Severus did not reply, but waved her away, and went back to his calculations.

Eliza breathed in the sweet scents of spring. The day was warm, so she sprawled out on a grassy bank and let the sun warm her. She loved Saturdays, especially when all of her homework was finished. She laughed at the memory of last night's discussion with Severus.

"What do you mean you aren't taking your N.E.W.T.s?" he demanded, appalled.

"Why on earth would I spend so much time and energy on something so pointless?" she retorted.

"They are not pointless," he argued. "If you want any sort of career-"

"Which I don't" she reminded him. "I've gone to several universities already."

"_Muggle_ Universities," he scoffed.

"Oh, well I am sorry they are not good enough for you," she replied coldly," but you know you are wasting your breath."

"I know you are ridiculously _stubborn," _he emphasized, "but you are making a huge mistake."

Ever since that argument he had been decidedly distant. They did not have many rows, but when they did, neither side budged. Severus would be mean for a few days, Eliza would ignore it, and then finally they would let it pass with no actual solution.

Eliza tugged at the grass blades and wondered if maybe he was right. Logic seemed more to be on her side though. She would never get into a good school, even if she studied seven days a week. She also had other things to worry about.

She flopped on her back and began counting. Seven. Seven was the number of students who were in hiding at the moment. The students who were half-blood, defiant, or just on the Carrows' bad side, had taken residence there. The room of requirement seemed to keep enlarging itself to make space for more occupants.

_Ugh, he is wearing too much cologne;_ Eliza wrinkled her nose as a new scent accosted her.

"What are you doing here?" Draco demanded.

"Playing Quidditch," she answered sarcastically. "What does it look like I am doing?"

Draco sat next to her stiffly, looking nervous.

"Was there something you wanted?" she spat.

"You saw my mom a few days ago," he pointed out.

"Yea, I did," she responded, curious where this was going.

Severus and Eliza had made a quick trip to Malfoy Mansion for a few instructions, though the dark lord had called it a "social visit". He had asked how long before she could try again, and she told him truthfully that it would take a few months.

"How is she?" he asked almost desperately. "I mean really."

"She looks, well really tired, I guess," Eliza said delicately. "I think it's hard to play hostess, you know."

"Yea," he said, for lack of anything better to say.

"I'm sure she is okay though," she tried to reassure him. She understood how important family was, now that hers was gone.

"She doesn't really say much, you know, in her letters," his tone had changed dramatically. He no longer sounded harsh, or arrogant. Just like a lost little boy.

"She probably can't" Eliza said knowingly.

"So I guess we are all on the same side now," he said darkly.

"I guess you were right, there never was a choice," she agreed, an edge to her voice.

"My aunt doesn't trust you," he told her. Eliza wasn't sure if that was meant to be taken as a warning, or a threat.

"Well I truly loath her, so you can understand why that particular news doesn't strike any chords," she rolled her eyes. "She doesn't trust Severus, I would be seriously surprised if she trusted _me._"

"Why should she? You put her in prison," he accused.

"Yes, I did." Eliza shrugged. "And now my former friends would do the same to me if they could. Its all part of this sickening game."

"You think this is a game?" Draco said in disbelief.

"The deadliest game any of us have had to play," she stated. "Any sane person. However, you know how much stock I hold in your aunt's sanity," Eliza rolled her eyes.

"If you touch her, I _will_ kill you," he seethed through clenched teeth.

Eliza let out a soft hiss, and Draco scrambled backwards, pulling out his wand.

"Oh, put that away," she growled. "I was just demonstrating to you how little your threats hold water. I don't have any interest in killing you or any of your family members anytime soon," she assured him.

Draco did not relax, but put his wand back up his sleeve.

"So, you and Snape, huh?" he tried to sound nonchalant.

"That seems to be the rumor," she neither confirmed nor denied.

"I've been told he has a lot of influence over you," Draco looked sideways. "I heard that's why you uh, switched sides."

"It may have had something to do with it, so what?" Eliza demanded.

"So he doesn't care that you are such a freak?" Draco attempted to tease.

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't find that completely insulting," Eliza said wearily, wondering why Draco was attempting conversation with her. "But anyway, he doesn't see it that way. He thinks I can be useful."

"Yes, useful," Draco said bitterly. "That's all any of us are."

"But we are all in this together," she told him, holding his gaze.

He nodded, stood, and walked back to the castle.

Eliza immediately sought Severus to reiterate the discussion. He listened with calmness, and was unsurprised.

"He feels that you two are in a somewhat similar situation," he explained. "He wants to feel like he is not alone."

"I hate these sudden feelings of pity for the Malfoys," Eliza sighed dramatically, falling back on the sofa cushion.

"Don't get too soft," he warned.

"I know, I know," she replied impatiently. "But I can totally see it. He doesn't really want any of this."

"Who does?" Severus said darkly.

"True."

"How are your charges?" Severus redirected the topic.

"Ready for the school year to end," Eliza grumbled. "They just want to go home so badly."

"Its not as if it is any safer out there," Severus got up from his table to sit next to her. She pulled him down to lie on her chest. He sighed.

"You are not very soft," he commented after a moment.

"Yes I know that," she snapped. "Do you ever have anything nice to say?" she pushed him up off of her.

"Um, you are very strong?" Severus teased.

"Oh yes, that makes me feel so feminine," she raised her eyebrow. "Try again."

"You amuse me?" His cheek twitched.

"You are not helping yourself."

"I love you?" He tried to make the words sound natural, but they came out choked.

Eliza stared, her mouth hanging open.

"Why do you look so surprised, you already knew that," he narrowed his eyes, not very happy with her reaction.

"You never say that," she said softly, still taken aback.

"Well you still know it," he said defensively.

"You're right, it's just nice to hear," Eliza took his hand and kissed his knuckle, distracted.

"Well don't get too used to it," he settled back down to his usual self, and Eliza smiled.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Eliza said playfully. He started to rise, but she stopped him, and caught his cheek with her hand, and truned his face towards her own. "I love you too."

He kissed her, then stood up quickly.

"I need to finish writing down these potions. Can you please go entertain yourself so I can work in peace and quiet?" he called over his shoulder.

Eliza snorted. _Well I guess the honeymoon's over_, she laughed to herself before leaving him to his tasks.

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A/N: sorry for the long time between updates, got a lot on my plate at the moment. The updates should be longer in length soon, and posted quicker. Hope you like what your reading so far.


	25. Chapter 25

"Eliza?" Neville called out to her, snapping her out of the trance like state she was in. She had brought a bag of goodies that she had nicked from the kitchens, and was passing them out. "What's wrong?" he asked her, taking a bottle of pumpkin juice.

"Nothing, really," she said in a distracted voice. "I just got a weird feeling." She shivered. "That something is about to happen."

"Like a premonition?" he asked in dread.

She smiled. "I don't think so, it was just a strange feeling, that's all."

After passing out her loot to her fellow students, she took a seat on one of the cushions sitting on the floor. Everyone gathered to join her.

"So did we miss anything today?" A third year Hufflepuff had asked her. His mother was a muggle, and his father was an opposer of Voldemort. Eliza had not even waited for the Carrow's to threaten him, she snatched him immediately to keep him safe.

"Not really," she assured him. "Although I think your year had a really difficult transfiguration exam."

"Well I guess that's one reason to be glad I'm stuck here," the boy tried to sound enthusiastic, but his words came out very flat. There was a dejected silence.

"Any news about Ginny?" Neville asked Eliza.

"No, nothing. I had a feeling when she went home, she wasn't going to be coming back, and I don' really blame her."

"Luna?" Neville questioned, apprehensive. Eliza shook her head.

"Has Aberforth been keeping an eye on you guys?" she tried to change the subject. It was difficult for Neville; Luna had been his good friend.

"Yea," Neville replied sadly. The mention of Aberforth always reminded the students of their beloved headmaster.

The gang spent the next hour catching up, and offering strategies and suggestions. Neville had become quite a leader lately. Eliza knew that if it came down to it, these students could protect themselves with Neville's teachings. Dumbledore's Army was up and running again.

"So what she would be on the look out for?" Longbottom asked, clenching his wand.

With the exception of Severus' role in all of this, the students in hiding were aware of Eliza's true alliances, and that she was acting as a double agent. It had taken a long time to convince them, for trust was not something to be taken lightly anymore.

"The _professors_," Indicating the two cruelest and most hated, "Are going to be changing their schedules when it comes to their rounds. They are each taking a shift every night now, so it's going to be twice the amount we are used to." Eliza told them.

"What times? Do you know?" the group leader questioned.

"Usually eleven and one. That's what I overheard anyway," she replied. The group nodded, taking in this new information.

Eliza stood and made her way towards the door. "I need to get going, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Be careful," Neville warned.

She nodded and retreated silently to her room.

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Eliza woke up, feeling that something was amiss. She decided to go see Severus.

The hallways were dark and silent as Eliza swiftly sailed down to Severus' rooms. She knocked swiftly, and waited. Nothing. Approaching footsteps caused her to tense.

Three figures rounded the corner and stared cold in her direction.

"You won't find him in there," Minerva sneered. Flitwick and Sprout narrowed their eyes.

"Oh, do you know where he is?" Eliza asked innocently, knowing something serious was going on.

"We decided his presence was no longer welcome in this castle," the older which mocked. "As is yours."

"I'm a student," Eliza challenged her. "My attendance is mandatory."

"You are no more a student than I am!" Minerva scoffed. "I am no longer interested in playing your little game."

"_My_ game?" Eliza spat. "It was Albus that-"

"Don't you dare speak of him!" McGonagall screeched, causing her companions to jump. "He trusted you, and you and your _boyfriend _betrayed him!"

"I had nothing to do with that, and you know it," Eliza narrowed her own eyes.

"Say whatever you want, but we want you out of here," Minerve demanded.

"I can't go," Eliza told her, thinking of the students in hiding, and many more who might need her protection.

"This is not a debate. Leave now on your own, or we will help you out"

The three professors immediately brandished their wands. Eliza wasn't sure what they had up their sleeves, but she didn't wait to find out. In the blink of an eye she was running in the direction in which she came

"We will find you!" was the last thing Eliza heard before fleeing into the room of requirement, and slamming the door behind her. Several pairs of eyes widened at her arrival.

"Change of plans," she muttered darkly, turning around, and stopping dead in her tracks. The room was completely empty. It had seemed that everyone had left in a hurry, by the looks of it.

......................................................................................................................................

Eliza quickly opened the door to find out what the hell was going on.

Suddenly she heard a horrible voice speaking in the most pleasant of tones. Eliza froze as Voldemort asked for the school to give up Harry, and no more harm would come.

_Harry Potter is here?_ She thought in disbelief. _No wonder this place is empty. _Eliza began to run. She did not believe this school was ready for such an attack. She needed to help defend it.

Elizabeth had made it halfway down the hallway when she heard a commotion coming towards her. She broke hard, and tried to make out the voices.

Madame Pomfrey was running with a large mass of students. A very frightened looking Filch was covering the rear. It did not take long for the group to reach the door.

"What's going on?" Eliza yelled over the scared ramblings of the crowd. Poppy stopped in front of the door, and began to activate it.

"Get in here," the mediwitch hissed. Everyone was crammed into the room, and Eliza posed the question again.

"We are under attack!" Filch cried out.

"I know!" Eliza howled in disbelief. "But where is everyone. Where should I go?"

"Professor McGonagall is taking volunteers out there," Poppy called over her shoulder, guiding children through the secret passage way to Hog's Head. "If you aren't fighting, then come through here."

"Oh I'm fighting," Eliza sneered at the many eligible Slytherin students slinking out the back.

"What are you talking about?" Pansy grabbed her arm. "Come on, we will be _safe."_

Eliza yanked her arm back, causing Pansy to jerk forward. "I'm not a coward," she said with narrowed eyes. Pansy just shrugged, and turned her back on Eliza.

"Good luck," Poppy called out to her as she pushed her way through the crowd and down the corridor.

Not bothering to wait for the stairs to right themselves, Eliza jumped from stairwell to stairwell, landing on her feet and springing down to the next. A few students running to catch up to the retreating group had stopped to watch her, mouths hanging open.

Eliza ran blindingly fast to the quidditch pitch to gain a better view. Clawing her way up, she made it to the top and scanned. Her blood instantly went cold when she was able to make out the crawling forms, coming towards the castle. Acromantulas were coming out of the forest in large numbers.

Eliza was equally as disturbed by the view on her left side. Werewolves were standing in ranks, awaiting orders. She hissed instinctually.

"I agree," Came a voice from behind. Eliza whipped around and braced herself.

"Sanguini!" she breathed a sigh of momentary relief. "How did you get here so fast?"

"Your Snape fellow contacted me," the vampire answered. "We came together, with that madman."

"Severus is here?" Eliza's face lit up, then it quickly faded into fear. "Where is he?"

"Well I told those crazy humans I was going to go look for you," Sanguini told her. "Cause you know, _we are all on the same side_," he sniggered.

"But where is Severus?" she said breathless. She scanned the scene before her to try and make him out.

The battle seemed so far away from where they were standing. She could see wizards sending different colored strands back and forth. From somewhere distant, the pair could hear the stomping of giants that had not quite made it to the castle. People were whizzing by on broomsticks, firing hexes.

"Last I saw, they were heading towards that little cabin over there," he said pointing.

"Thanks, that's where I'm headed then," she told him, ready to climb down.

"I have an appointment with those werewolves," Sanguini said darkly, jumping straight down to the ground. Eliza knew a small moment of jealousy, knowing that he was so much better equipped than her.

"Be careful!" she yelled to him. He laughed.

"Don't laugh. Those mutts are the most dangerous enemy we have!" she chastised.

"Oh little Lizzy," he called over his shoulder as he ran towards the battle that was unfolding.

Eliza ran as fast as she could. On her way she passed two death eaters battling a seventh year student. One fell, then the other. Though the student seemed surprised by her sudden appearance, and the sudden deaths of his attackers, the boy called out "thanks!" before running off.

The sudden scent hit Eliza like a crashing wave. She had not meant to shed any blood, but her arm was soaked in it. In her state, it was difficult for her not to stop and suck the blood out of her sleeve.

_Stop it!_ Elizabeth yelled at herself. _You are acting like an animal!_

In the back of her mind she recalled Severus' words to her, not too long ago. Not ready to face them yet, she quickly tore the sleeves off of her robe, and kept running.

Nearing the shack, Eliza slowed when she saw Harry Potter leaving out the back. He looked exhausted, frightened, and nauseous. As soon as he was out of sight, she ran to the door and threw it open.

The room was empty except for a crumpled mass on the floor.

"_Nooooo,"_ Eliza's tortured cry rang out as she sank to the floor, hysterical.

The heartbeat was almost non-existent. It was so faint she knew she had seconds left.

Eliza had to make a choice. It did not take her long before her mind was made up.

_Please let this work_, she begged, taking a deep breath, and turning towards Severus.

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A/N: Again, sorry about the long time updating. I had to do a little research for this, and I ended up scrapping the original version of this chapter. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far. Look for an update in the next couple of days. Thank you again for your reviews.


	26. Chapter 26

With a surge of apprehensive emotions, Eliza lifted Severus into her lap.

_You can do this,_ Eliza told herself, tilting his head back. Slowly she lowered herself to his exposed neck.

Her bared fangs sank into his skin, and she could feel the venom inject itself into his bloodstream. Eliza waited until her entire store began to coarse though his veins, before quickly pulling back.

Severus gave a slight jolt before going back to his comatose state. Eliza sighed, knowing the venom was working, healing his wounds.

Reaching to pull off the dusty cushion from the broken chair next to them, Eliza carefully lowered Severus' head down. After kissing him on the forehead, she ran out of the shack to begin her quest.

The battle was still raging, and Eliza knew this was her opportunity. She needed to make Severus strong, and there was only one way to do it.

She ignored the duelers as she made her way back to the castle. Debris was everywhere from giants smashing around, and hexes blowing up anything in their way. The hallways were littered with bodies, which Eliza merely jumped over them to get to her destination.

The door to the potions room was locked. _Shit,_ Eliza seethed. Glancing around, she found a wand lying next to the body of what had once been a death eater. _This will do_, Eliza thought as she quickly breathed "Alohamora" and let herself into the room.

The cabinet, which held the larger glass vials, was also secured. Eliza didn't waste time, but just busted through the glass, sending shards flying everywhere. Grabbing an eight-pouch bag, she pulled the vials out and shoved them in the slots to keep them from breaking.

Slinging the black bag over her shoulder, she ran back onto the battlefield.

Eliza scanned the crowed for masks. She didn't care who they were, but the death eaters were now serving a new purpose. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Hermione Granger stun a death eater, and move off.

The woman did not waste time. In a swift movement, she dragged the stunned man away from sight, and began to suck. With each mouthful she spit the blood into one of the open vials. Two vials were filled by the time the source ran out.

On her way back, Eliza happened to look down to avoid trampling a body, and let out a startled cry. The wide eyes of her friend were staring back at her.

"Tonks!" Eliza cried out in anguish. She sank to the floor, sobbing. It was too late. She couldn't of saved her, even if she had any venom left. She let the tears fall for a minute, but then determination took over her.

Eliza stood, a look of fury hardening her features. Sweat and dirt were matted to her body, but she paid no attention. Rage overcame what little control she had possessed. First Severus, and now Tonks, Eliza could not bare it.

A death eater was running under a tree nearby, and Eliza turned to him and snarled menacingly. Before he could raise his wand, Eliza was on the move. Using the tree for momentum, the vampire bounced off its trunk, causing it to splinter and fall on the helpless body.

The legs of her victim were pinned, but she ignored his cries of pain. Opening another vial, she began to suck the life out of him. Another two vials filled.

By now the constant intake of blood was beginning to affect her. The scent of it was everywhere, and Eliza was having a difficult time only attacking known death eaters.

Stragglers seemed to be close to the edge of the forest. Eliza no longer cared what anyone saw, but was still trying to avoid interruption. She did not make it very far before she was detained.

"Well what do we have here?" A sickening voice called from behind.

"Greyback," she snarled. Immediately there was a collision of bodies. The wolf had knocked her into a boulder, causing her to loose her breath.

In a flash she was behind him, trying to pin him to the ground, but he was too strong for her. He had flipped them over, and was shoving her face into the dirt to keep her from biting him.

"Not as strong as your daddy, are you?" he taunted, throwing her into the air, and laughing as she his the ground with a loud thud.

Eliza moaned, and tried to get up. In the next moment, Fenrir had her by the hair, pulling her back up.

Suddenly both bodies were flung backward. Eliza looked up to see a brief struggle, and then a body collapsing back down to the earth.

"You looked like you needed a little help," Sanguini told her smiling. "I was happy to oblige."

"Thank you so much," she staggered, still having a difficult time breathing.

"You look a fright," he told her, raising an eyebrow. "In fact, you look like you have been _drinking_," he said surprised. "I thought you were an abstainer?"

"Extenuating circumstances," she told him, searching for her bag. It was lying harmlessly on the ground, and she quickly threw the strap over her shoulder.

"I see," he responded, still curious.

"I need to go," Eliza was already looking for more prey.

"I think I have gotten most of the werewolves," Sanguini told her. "I believe I will work on giants next."

"Good luck," she told him. He only smiled and shook his head, dashing towards his next target.

A chorus of cheers was going around, but they were coming from the wrong side. Eliza watched in disbelief as Hagrid carried the unconscious body of Harry Potter. Eliza was only meters away from the spectacle, hidden behind a tree.

The Half-Giant was sobbing his eyes out, and the noise was shielding the sound she was looking for. Eliza strained her ears to her the soft, but rapid thuds coming from Harry's heart, and she could smell the thick amounts of adrenaline in his veins. Not knowing his plan, but also too preoccupied to care, she began her mission once more.

On her way back to the shrieking shack, another victim experienced a violent ending. He had been dueling non other than Neville Longbottom, who simply gaped at her.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, sickened by the sight of her spitting blood into a glass bottle.

She looked up to expose the sharp daggers coming from inside her mouth, dripping blood down her chin. He fell backward, scrambling away before Eliza could attempt at an explanation. She ignored it and went back to work.

A crowd was now gathering near the madman and his "victim", which was now very far away. Eliza was near the castle, and decided to find the last source inside.

She met face to face with Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, taking in the vampire's appearance and shuddering. "Never mind, I think I already know."

"Why are you hiding in here?" Eliza spat. "Isn't your fearless leader out there celebrating? Shouldn't you be there with him?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't want to be apart of this anymore," he choked. "I know, I'm so far in, I just don't know what to do."

Eliza studied him acutely. She believed him to be absolutely genuine in his declaration, yet he was right; he was very deep in this mess.

"Don't give up hope," she told him. He looked at her in defeat. Eliza sighed, "I mean it. I know things you don't. Go join the right side right now, and you may have a chance," she instructed.

"What do you know?" he asked her, terrified.

"I can't tell you, you just have to trust me."

"You're sure?" he questioned.

"No one is sure of anything," she said gently. "But this is your best chance."

Draco nodded, mulling things over. Eliza touched his arm before running down the hallway. She needed to get back to the shack soon, but was still not finished.

Elizabeth rounded the corner, and smacked into a solid object. Once she recognized who it was, the vampire sneered in sheer delight. _No way I am this lucky,_ she thought gleefully as she stared down Professor Alecto Carrow.

"Well you little bitch, we meet again," Carrow smiled evilly, whipping out her wand.

"This is not a good day for you," Eliza smirked, snatching Alecto's wand before she could blink, and snapping it with one hand. The death eater's eyes grew wide in fear, and she tried to run.

"Oh no you don't," Eliza slammed her enemies body into the wall. "You are going to pay for all the misery you have put us through. And when I am done, I hope you brother find's your body."

Making the process as slow and painful as possible, Eliza filled the last of her supplies into the sack.

Guilt was starting to nag at her for the way she had murdered her last victim. Killing for protection or survival was different, but this had been in revenge. She tried to tell herself it was just to save Severus, but knew better. Eliza concluded it must not happen again. She could not lose her humanity that way.

Stomping quickly up the stairs to the shack, Elizabeth's heart relaxed at the sight of Severus, now sleeping peacefully. Dawn would be approaching soon, and she needed to get him out of here. He would have no protection from the sun should they wait any longer, and she did not want to stay and be found.

With all of her strength she carried Severus out of the shack and into the night. Careful not to be seen, Eliza kept to the shadows and entered the castle through one of the secret passageways. A moment of sadness passed when she recognized the flaming orange hair of its former guardian.

The room of requirement was now empty, as most of the surviving students had passed to safety through it. Eliza peeked out of the door, and into to the Hog's Head, only to find a space just as empty. She assumed there had to be a guard somewhere, and everyone else had gone to a safer area.

Elizabeth was correct. As soon as she and the unconscious body went through the door, jets of light were coming from someone behind an invisibility cloak. But Eliza was much too fast, and the pair was safely out the door and down the street in a matter of moments.

They needed a floo, and fast. Pounding on a door, Eliza asked the fearful woman who answered if she could use their fireplace.

"He needs to go to St. Mungo's right away!" Eliza lied. "Please!"

The woman peeked out the door, over them, before quickly ushering them inside.

"The floo powder is over here," she said, shaking. "Wait here, and I will be right back," the woman scurried, intending to escort them to the hospital, and needing her wand, still next to the door.

Before the helpful stranger could come back, Eliza had already shouted "Parker Cottage", throwing the powder down. The two were transported to Eliza's favorite secluded getaway, which is what they would need for a while.

After laying Severus down on the sofa, which was as far as she could make it, she threw herself into a chair next to him and waited.

It could not be long now.

Eliza had not realized she had fallen asleep until the sound of someone stirring nearby startled her, followed by a groan.

Instantly Eliza was by his side. "Severus," she whispered to him. "Severus, its alright, I'm here."

"_Beth_," he breathed, reaching up to touch her face. His hand rested on her cheek lightly for the briefest moment before he fell unconscious once more.

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A/N: whew! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will try to get the next one up soon. Thank you for your reviews :)


	27. Chapter 27

When Severus woke, he felt completely disoriented. He became alarmed when he did not recognize his surroundings, but was too weak to move. Eliza had moved him to the bed in his sleep, and he sank against the pillow, moaning.

A blur moved through the door and she was instantly at his bedside.

"Severus, you're awake," she knelt in front of him.

He tried to speak, but could not form any words. Eliza smoothed his hair back and looked down at him, a smile of relief on her face.

The transformation was complete. He had changed in appearance, but not as drastic as one usually would. Severys always had had a gaunt face, with sallow skin. His eyes were only slightly darker. In the past few years he had already begun to fit into this world, just from his lifestyle

"I'll be right back," she whispered, making her way to the kitchen.

Opening the refrigerator door, Eliza retrieved one of the chilled vials. She poured some of the contents into a glass, and put the rest back. When she returned, she found Severus trying to sit up.

"Stop that," she chastised. "You are still much too weak."

His eyes grew wide at the cup in her hand.

"You need to drink this," she instructed. "It will help make you stronger. "

Severus' furred his brows and shook his head, refusing.

"Don't argue with me," Elizabeth told him firmly. "You have no idea what I went through to get this, _now drink!"_

Severus' hand shook when he tried to take the glass from her. Eliza quickly stopped him from spilling the contents, and helped him lift it to his lips. As soon as the liquid entered his mouth, he spit it out, accidentally spraying her in the face.

She blinked in surprise, and went to retrieve a towel. Severus looked ashamed when she came back, and tried to apologize, but she waved him away.

"I know you think it's disgusting right now, but I promise it will get easier," she assured him. "You need this to gain your strength back, just gulp it down."

He looked from her face to her outstretched hand, and nodded, allowing her to pour the contents down his throat. He choked, but kept the nourishment inside his body.

"Lay down," she told him, helping him get comfortable. She climbed in the bed next to him, wrapping her arm around him, waiting for the blood to take effect.

"What happened?" Severus croaked when he could finally speak, nearly twenty minutes later.

"A lot."

He gave her a scathing look. Eliza knew it was not a good idea to distress him.

"I will tell you when you are stronger," she promised.

"Tell me now," he demanded. "I feel a little better."

"Well I know you are lying, but I also know better than to argue," she surrendered. "Much has happened, and I don't know where to start."

"Is the dark lord-" Severus' voice trailed off, but Eliza was not sure whether it was from exhaustion or apprehension.

"He's been defeated," Eliza told him with a knowing look. "It was in the papers this morning."

"Can I see it?" Severus asked in disbelief. "Can it possibly be true?"

Eliza grabbed the paper off the nightstand and presented it to him. He could barely turn the pages, so Eliza propped it up for him, and they read it together.

"I can't believe its over," Sererus sighed heavily, as if a great weight had been lifted off of him.

He started scanning the casualties' list, and stared hard at one name in particular.

"I'm dead?" he looked her curiously. Eliza's eyes filled with tears.

"What do you remember?" she asked, voice cracking.

"I remember the dark-" but he stopped himself. "I remember _Voldemort_," he spat, finally fearless to say his name, and treating it like a bad taste in his mouth, "going on about the elder wand. It gets rather fuzzy at that point."

"He turned on you," Eliza told him darkly. "He ordered his snake to bite you. You were nearly dead when I found you."

"Wait, was Potter there?" Severus asked her, remembering a blurry vision of his face.

"He had left right before I got there," Eliza told him. "He told everyone what had happened. That you were on their side the whole time, and he had memories to prove it."

"How did he get them?" Severus wondered.

"You gave them to him, I guess," she explained. "That's what he said. He left because he thought you were dead. Well, thinks you are dead, I should say," she corrected.

"So then what happened?" he urged.

"He sacrificed himself, made Voldemort think he had killed him. Apparently the Malfoy's helped convince him, and have now been pardoned," Eliza filled him in.

"Draco is not going to prison?" Severus asked in relief.

"No," she smiled. "I spoke with him, right beforehand, he knew which side he was meant for."

"And Potter killed him then?" Severus questioned.

"Actually, he killed himself," Eliza explained. "He tried to kill Harry and the curse backfired."

"Amazing," Severus breathed, then began coughing.

Eliza was back in an instant, with a full cup. Severus drank without argument, but looked positively ill when he was finished.

"I'm so sorry," Elizabeth told him vehemently. "It was the only way to save you."

Severus stared off for a while, and his silence was trying Eliza's nerves. She knew most people would never choose this life. She had been very selfish, because she did not want to live her out her own existence without him.

"So what am I?" he finally asked.

"Full fledged," she said quietly. "Complete transformation."

"No sunlight?" she shook her head. He sighed, "Being in public?"

"Not very often," Eliza whispered, looking down.

"Forever?"

"Yes."

They sat in silence for a long while, Eliza still looking down at the bedcovers, Severus looking at her.

"Where is my wand?" Severus questioned. Eliza's sob answered his question.

"No more magic?" he sounded in severe pain.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I didn't know what else to do."

"Shh," Severus tried to soothe her, pulling her into him arms. "I know, I know," he told her, smoothing her hair.

"You were dying," she sat up and tried to justify her actions.

"I deserved to die," he said in a numb tone. "But you saved me."

"Don't say that," Eliza sniffed. "If you were with them now, you would be a war hero. Instead you are stuck here," she replied bitterly.

"Who do you think I would rather be with?" he told her forcefully. "What do I have left out there?"

Eliza fell against him in relief, and he held her close.

"I'm not saying this life won't take some getting used to," he said rationally, "But its worth it, if it means I get you in the deal."

"For the next few hundred centuries," she told him with a small smile, "I'm all yours."

"Then I have everything," he sighed, capturing her lips with his own.

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A/N: whoo hoo! Thanks for those who kept up with the story. I would like to know, should I write or short epilogue, or would you like me to leave it to your imagination?

Thanks to all my faithful reviewers, you really kept me going. It's been a great ride.


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